


Watch Me Fall

by darcenator



Category: Lizzie Bennet Diaries
Genre: AU- in complete form, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-09-08
Updated: 2014-01-03
Packaged: 2017-12-25 23:26:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 24,425
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/958858
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/darcenator/pseuds/darcenator
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>LBD- AU, in complete form. What does that mean?</p><p>It means William Darcy, small town hipster, is the same stuck-up workaholic that works two jobs to pay through grad school. Everything is as routine as they come, until some rich girls decide to move into town.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. William Darcy, Grad Student

**Author's Note:**

> Finally breaking my fanfic cherry, so please be delicate with me.

_Stroke, stroke, and breathe._

_Stroke, stroke, and breathe. One more lap to go._  

William Darcy never settles for a quick swim. Always one more lap. One more pass. One more. The day winds down and crowds disperse in the university aquatics facility and he makes a final turn and takes off the wall with one last push. As he reaches for the end of the lane, a lean figure approaches the swimmer and Darcy knows who before he hears the clattering heels.

“I knew I’d find you here.” 

“Gigi.” he replied, out of breath. “I thought Aunt Catherine was supposed to pick you up.”

She sighed. “She never showed, so I took a gamble and came here.”

“Typical.” he grumbled to himself and climbed out of the pool. Of course she was a no-show.  “Let me shower and I’ll take you home.”

“Thanks, brother.” Gigi climbs the bleachers and busies herself with her phone.

Still drenched, Darcy swings a towel over his shoulder and makes his way towards the locker room. “Would you mind calling Fitz to inquire if he’s on for tonight?” he asked.

“What’s going on tonight?” the younger Darcy inquired.

“Grad school complications. Non-issue.” the elder said abruptly. William Darcy, Mr.-I’ll-work-two-jobs-while-attending-grad-school-to-prove-my-independence, is never one to ask for help. Whatever the issue may be, Gigi knew not to press further on the matter.

“Mhm.” Never looking away from her phone, she extends her hand to retrieve his.

Without another word muttered between them, Darcy disappears into the locker room, missing something his swimmer ears didn’t catch. “You’re welcome.” she scoffs.

 

* * *

 

 

April, signifying the final month until summer begins, is a time any student would begin to count the days until the end of the semester. However, William Darcy is not your usual student. He’s in constant motion for 18 hours, between work and school, and his philosophy is if he’s not moving, he’s not working hard enough. If any time was left in the day, he swims and lately, he spends most of his free time in the water. Whether he’s there to relieve stress from working at the country club, his upcoming senior thesis, or dealing with Gigi, he can always depend on the water to wash away the strain. Darcy missed the old days of competing with the team, but ever since the incident he quit to focus on what to do with his life.

Darcy was 21 years old at the time and his sister was still in high school. His life was beginning to rapidly fall apart the day he realized he couldn’t financially support himself and Gigi. The passing of their parents left them very little to get by and evidently prompted their legal guardian, Aunt Catherine, to move from LA to their small town of Hertford. A stranger to the town and to the orphaned siblings, she was excessively vocal on how unusual everything was from her former life. Darcy cared little about how she chose to run things in return, yet as much as he wished he could raise Gigi on his own, Aunt Catherine gave her the security and support he could never provide. He always envied her for that, but he will always be grateful.

A few years passed and the relationship among the three grew strained. He moved out to live on his own and to find work to pay the bills and student loans. Gigi stayed behind to finish high school with honors and scholarships, with the help of Aunt Cath and her new influence around town. Catherine de Bourgh successfully became the V.C. of the Hertford Country Club and her newfound position of power allowed her to rub elbows with anyone and everyone. She extended her helping hand to Darcy on more than one occasion, but he refused help in anything he could accomplish on his own terms. What a spoiled life it must be to have everything handed to you effortlessly. Gigi saw his refusal as stubborn and conceited, but she never had to work hard for anything in her life.

So here they are today. Darcy is driving his sister to the house once again while their Aunt is away somewhere talking up with businessmen in blindingly horrible golf apparel. What a charming life indeed. The two remain silent for most of the car ride until they pass the one house of grandeur Gigi loved to gawk over. Darcy would never admit to this, but sometimes it’s worth the trip down this particular street to see Gigi’s eyes sparkle for those few stolen seconds.

Gigi turns to her brother in awe. “Aunt Cath told me someone bought the castle today.”

“Don’t tell me. She bought it.” Darcy deadpans. 

“Haha.” She sticks her tongue out. “I think they’re heiresses or something. Aunt Cath met one of them earlier today at the country club and she said she wants us to meet them soon.”

They approach the de Bourgh residence and Darcy pulls over to turn on the blinkers, symbolizing he makes no plans to come in. Gigi dashes out of the car and ducks her head to meet his eyes. “At least stay for dinner?”

He gestures towards the windshield. “No time. Fitz, remember?”

“Right.” Gigi steps back, closes the door, and waves her brother goodbye as he driving off in his black Corolla.

 

* * *

 

 

There seems to never be enough hours in the day and grad school makes it unnervingly harder to keep up with his calendar. Earlier that day, Darcy was dead set on making his side project his thesis. The app in question has potential to be used as a communication tool, proven to be an effective video archive. However, Dr Reynolds didn’t think it would be enough. 

“Darcy, it’s not about the next tool. It’s about making connections. This is Mass Communications and I think your project could be so much more if you give vlogging a chance. Experience what it’s like.” His new project might not get him anywhere but he finds tinkering with apps quite satisfying. So why does his mentor believe that starting a video blog would be something to consider for his thesis on top of everything? His mentor always said enough to peak her students’ curiosity, but he was left confounded.

“For how long?”

Dr Reynolds smiled. “For however long suits you.”

Darcy began to fidget with his suspenders. “I am unsure what this will accomplish.” 

She mused over his confusion as he began to tuck his chin. Two years of lectures, seminars, and private meetings and Darcy still can’t see the big picture. “It may seem pointless right now, but I promise you that vlogging will be something to consider for your thesis. And if that doesn’t work out, we can discuss other alternatives.” A knock on the door brought the meeting to a close and Darcy drove back to his apartment, his assurance left behind. 

In the evening that followed, Fitz arrives at Bing and Darcy’s apartment and together the two sat and talked about the Reynolds meeting at length. Fitz Williams was intuitive, honest, and perceptive, which Darcy always valued in their friendship. He begins to pace about the kitchen and when the story ends, he waits for Fitz to respond. 

His best friend meets his eyes and cracks a grin. That imprudent Fitz grin that always said “how-can-you-be-that-oblivious”, written all over his face.

“Darcy, man! Vlogging would be perfect for you!!” he howled.

Darcy pauses mid-step. That was not the reaction he was expecting. 

“I’m sorry?”

“Hear me out. Contrary to popular belief, you are a man with a lot to say! And once you see what others have vlogged about, OH-HOHO!! I see what you did there, Reynolds.” Fitz says pointedly.

“I don’t follow.” Darcy huffed, beginning to lose patience.

“Our little baby is definitely vlogging material. Hell, it’s got potential to become a decent platform. Dude, you’ve gotta do this!” Fitz’s eyes began to widen, his smile spread into a wide O, and Darcy can’t help but be infected by his friend’s enthusiasm. With one final sigh of defeat, Darcy lets out a small twitch of his lips.

The apartment doorknob began to twitch and clink before the frame opens to a tall, completely beat med student. “Hey, Darcy. Hi Fitz!” Darcy walks over to his roommate to greet him, Fitz following behind, and after they exchange pleasantries, a yawn escapes from Bing. “It’s great to see you Fitz, but I’ve gotta hit the hay. Early call in the morning. Goodnight.”

Fitz grabs his keys from the kitchen table and heads for the door. “’Night, boys! I’m heading out. Darceman,” he turns around, “that thing we talked about. Think about it, ‘kay?” Fitz points to his friend before bringing the finger to his temple.

Darcy nods. 

“Peace!!” the other calls over his shoulder and closes the door behind him.

Bing walks past his roommate towards the guestroom, but stops to look at Darcy with concern. “What was that about?”

“It’s not important, Bing. I’ll tell you about it in the morning.”

 

_**William Darcy, video blogger.** Not important at all, indeed._

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is so much I want to share about this AU, but for now I will clarify three things to establish an atmosphere of what WMF entails-
> 
> 1) Early on, I chose to have George Wickham be part of the Bennet world, as he was for the Darcys in LBD. Therefore, I hope I made clear that the relationship between Gigi and Darcy feels strained because with Wickham out of the picture, they would not have the shared experience to become close. At least not yet.
> 
> 2) Again, with Wickham out of their lives, I believe the Darcys would still be swimming. With this in mind, I hear there is a certain "week" coming up. You're welcome.
> 
> 3) The app that was discussed between Fitz and Darcy was Domino, of course. At this stage in their development, I thought they haven't decided on a name for it. (I secretly think Fitz calls it Jarvis to annoy Darcy when he gets pushy...)
> 
> Big thanks to mamaleh6994 for being my pseudo-beta for my first fic. I hope you enjoyed it!


	2. William Darcy, Too Busy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Darcy hates having a day off. It only leads to trouble.

Bing was in charge of apartment hunting last year when they both completed their second year in their respective grad schools. He took it upon himself to be considerate of Darcy’s tight budget from the beginning and after long summer weeks of not finding a place that suited both of their needs, they were about to call it quits. Their fall semester was a week away when Fitz found a flyer at his apartment complex and essentially saved the day. The former tenant was giving up her apartment in early August and was desperately searching for new tenants to sublease immediately. Bing was sold the moment he walked in and instantly phoned Darcy to see the place together.

 

Bing liked that the living room and open kitchen was charmingly spacious.

Darcy thought it would be prone to more messes for him to clean.

 

Bing thought the conjoined bathroom, with two doors on opposite ends, was a clever concept.

Darcy makes a conscious note to check the locks on both doors.

 

Bing loved that their bedrooms overlooked the gardens of the gated complex.

Darcy felt secure about the windows being high enough on the second story to not fall prey to theft.

 

And of course, Bing was grateful that the place was in Darcy’s price range.

And Darcy was impressed and willfully signed right below his roommate’s signature.

 

When Darcy and Bing finally moved in together, they realized early on that living in their shoebox apartment meant they became acutely aware of each other’s routine and presence. Some were little things like forgetting to unlock the bathroom door when no one was in there or finding the orange juice on the living room side table, lukewarm instead of cool. Other things were unnerving, such as Darcy’s blender on Monday mornings and Bing’s singing in the shower in the depths of night. The list goes on, but no matter how often they got into each other necks over miniscule habits, they can always count on each other where it mattered the most.

On any other Tuesday, their apartment would be filled with the aroma of Darcy’s freshly brewed coffee. However on this particular Tuesday, Darcy’s morning class was cancelled and Bing woke up to find their apartment filled, not with a familiar smell, but with a familiar snore. He decided it was best to let Darcy sleep and get ready as quietly as he possibly can. His feeble attempt failed by breakfast when he sees his roommate emerging from the bedroom and tread slowly to their shared bathroom. The kitchen microwave reads 7:53AM, but the two never bothered to fix the slow clock. “Darcy, why are you up? Go back to bed.” Bing calls to him. A small while later, a fully dressed and clean-shaven Darcy arrive at the round kitchen table. “Is your calendar wrong or is this a dream and you’re skipping class?” Bing asked playfully. 

“I was told last night that lecture was cancelled for the morning, so I called work and asked if they needed any extra help. They said I could come in this morning.” Darcy reassures.

Bing moves his bowl of cereal aside and pulls out a heavy textbook from his leather book bag and places it on the table. Darcy begins to stand to give his friend time to study, but Bing catches his motives before he reacts. “Wait, you never told me what you and Fitz talked about the other night. Were you ever going to tell me?” 

Admittedly, Darcy knew that they saw very little of each other because of their busy schedules and took advantage of that to avoid confrontation in the past. This was definitely one of those cases, as well. Perhaps he should have taken Bing’s advice and slept in. Darcy sinks back into his chair and Bing pushes his book aside to give him his full attention.

“Do you remember what I told you about my senior thesis? And about introducing the video app to Dr. Reynolds?”

He nods for Darcy to continue. “It’s a great concept.” Bing tells him. 

“She didn’t think so. Well, that’s not true. She thought it was a great start, but she suggested that I try something first before committing to the app as my thesis.” Darcy says.

“Which is?” Bing asks.

Darcy purses his lips before he responds. “Reynolds wants me to try video blogging.”

Bing’s face instantly brightens. “You had me worried you were in trouble or sick or something. Oh man, is that all?”

“I’m so sorry and I did not mean to worry you. I’m fine, Bing. Would you mind if I used the living room to film? I think I might try it out today and Fitz will be here to help me set up.”

“When is Fitz ever not here? Of course, it’s fine!” The med student’s book is long forgotten as they both discuss their plans for the day and when their kitchen clock was supposed to read 9:30AM, the apartment was left with soggy cereal in the sink and orange juice left on the kitchen counter.

* * *

 

It was only a stunted, four-hour shift at the Hertfort Country Club, but Darcy will take any work he can get. After working the luncheon, he was about to change out of his catering uniform when his supervisor calls him over. 

Known only as Robinson, he asked Darcy, “A few weeks ago, did you ask to work on the 21st?”

Darcy confirms. “Yes, April 21st.”

“Hmm. Your request was denied.” Robinson has never met anyone who was enraged by news of a weekend off, but Darcy’s ear grew hot and his nostrils flared. He thanked his supervisor and with his own dress clothes long forgotten, he makes his way to the V.C.’s office.

If Darcy had waited three more seconds, he might have had his way. If he was patient for those few seconds, she might have given him what he wanted. But he couldn’t wait. He was angry.

Aunt Catherine was finishing up a phone teleconference when Darcy surges through her double doors and interrupts the recipients’ response on the other end of the line. “I need to speak with you.” he demands. She jumps from her seat across the room, shocked to find her nephew storming in at a time like this.

“I’m sorry. Are we interrupting something?” an authoritative voice interjects.

Catherine clears her throat. “No, sir. My sincerest apologies for my nephew’s manners, but rest assure I will be waiting for your email confirmation-“

“Like hell, you will.” the voice bites back before the line goes dead.

Darcy stands firm, but feels the air in the room shift as it always has- the calm before the storm. Aunt Catherine continued to let the monotone line ring before she hangs up the phone. She removes her dark-framed glasses that always sit on the tips of her wrinkled nose and buries her face into her hands. With one audible huff, she stands up and places her hands securely on the surface of her desk.

“William,” she says calmly before her voice picks up, “what in good heavens was so important that you had to interrupt the PGA board?”

He holds up a copy of his upcoming work schedule. “You gave me next Saturday off?” Darcy raises his voice.

“There is no need for you to work at a wedding you are attending. It’s a conflict of interest. Stuart hopes you would be there for his big day and I want you dressed and present.” Catherine then stood tall to smooth over her light brown blazer and walked around her desk at a measured pace.

Darcy takes two steps back until his back meets the wall. “You can’t do this.” he says tightly as he folded his arms across his chest.

“What’s done is done.” she retorts.

“This can’t keep happening. I need to keep a roof over my head and that can only happen if I can pay rent! THIS _-_ ” he stresses, walking over to her to shove the sheet of paper in front of her, “-needs to stop!!” he argues.

Her patience is wearing dangerously thin. “Why can’t you just accept the day off and be happy with it, hmmm? And don’t you dare go off hunting for someone to switch shifts! I need you and Gigi at this wedding and you two shall behave graciously as such!” _She “needs” us at the wedding. No, she doesn’t. She needs us to keep up with appearances and not for Stuart; for the fiancé’s rich family._

Darcy snaps. “How do YOU expect me to make up these hours? How do I get ALL the money back, AUNT CATHER-“

“AS I recall, you said that I should “not play favorites”! You have ruined one important conversation today and I have a meeting in fifteen. I will NOT spend valuable time having you talk to me this way, now **GET OUT**!!” she shrieked and her stubborn nephew’s towering figure storms out of the doors exactly as he did walking in. Darcy continues his raging exit past the assistant’s desk and tosses the schedule into the recycling. He missed, but made no effort to turn back and pick up the mess. He’s had enough for one day.

Of course, that’s when his phone decides to ring and he doesn’t bother to read the caller ID when he answers. “What!!” he harshly greets Fitz.

“... okay WHOA, man. Nevermind, just calling about your text about tonight, but-”

“Yeah whatever. Bring your camera.”

“Cruella de Bourgh?” Fitz knew Darcy too well for his own good. 

“Yes.” Darcy responded, less rigid after that quip.

“Tell me about it later, k?” They both hang up after that and Darcy just reaches the outside grounds when he remembers where he left his belongings. 

* * *

 

 

The rest of the day past in a haze and Darcy’s anger subsided. A new dilemma arose when he and Fitz discussed about Stuart’s wedding next Saturday. Previously, Fitz was planning to attend and harass a working Darcy to sneak in the good food every chance he got. Now that Darcy will be going as a guest, Fitz finds out he can’t go.

“Work conferences are so boring! Remind me again why I work for that stupid phone company?” Fitz agonizingly reflects. They both sit on Darcy’s bed and Fitz takes this opportunity to dramatically fall from the bed to the floor. Anything to cheer his friend up.

“Because you love what you do and you like free phones.” Darcy replies and lifts up the small camera from his right side table. 

“Very true.” Fitz calls from the floor. He rolls over onto his back and props himself up with his elbows. “I give you permission to bring a cardboard cutout of me and carry me to the wedding. Yo in fact, I insist you do it.” The other simply rolls his eyes and fiddles with the camera.

Fitz gets up and joins Darcy back on the bed. “Okay change topic. I had an idea earlier and hear me out before you say no.”

“No.” Darcy retorts.

“Too bad. I think you should make a twitter account.” Fitz says.

“No.” Darcy reaffirms. 

“Okay then, tight ass, you think you can make a video and that’s it? Dude, we took the same media classes!! You honestly don’t think Twitter will help your reach?” Fitz argues.

He honestly had not thought this through. “I hate you.” Darcy hands the camera over to its owner. 

“I know.” Fitz takes the camera and walks over to the standing tripod in the middle of the bedroom. “You’re vlogging in here, right?”

Darcy, with his laptop now on his lap, looked up and raised an eyebrow. “That’s you saying that I should film here, isn’t it?”

“I hate you.” Fitz replies, mimicking his friend’s deep voice with chin tucked.

“I know.” Darcy looks back down at his screen, hovering over the Twitter homepage. Noticing the stillness in the room, the other walks over to sit next to his troubled friend and takes the laptop from him. “Hey!!” Darcy cries out.

With his back away from Darcy, Fitz quickly works the keyboard to make the account and before they knew it, @wmdarcy was created. With a smug look on his face, Fitz happily gave back his friend's laptop. “Now, tweet!!” 

“Tweet what?” Darcy hesitates as he stares at the blinking insertion line. 

“Anything. Literally.” Fitz replies, getting up to adjust the camera again. “Darcy, just talk about you then.”

But he was drawing a blank. What does one talk about on here, anyways? There’s still so much to do for the video blog and he wanted to just everything over with. His impatience got the best of him for the second time today, thus after a bit of trial and error, he gives up and types the first thing that came to mind. He reads it over once more and hits the tweet button.

 

@wmdarcy **_I’m too busy to tweet_** _._

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay! I never thought I'd see the end of chapter two, but it's here! Again, big thanks to mamaleh6994 for the tons of ice cream we consumed over this baby. Also, Rabe & Kat if you see this, thank you for being my betas this week. And I didn't expect the comments or kudos, so THANK YOU ALL!!
> 
> Now, I need to explain two things before we await for the third chapter-
> 
> 1) I know it seemed a bit OOC for Darcy to get that angry with CDB, but considering what we know about their history and temperaments within this AU, it's safe to say this is them being civil.
> 
> 2) Bing and Darcy's apartment was inspired by one that I used to live in when I was in college. Although the entrance is different in this fic, this is the general concept http://www.roland-realty.com/5658-daniel.html 
> 
> Again, thank you so much for making me feel welcome on ao3.


	3. William Darcy, Video Blogger

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The external drive rests in the hands of a tremulous twenty-something year old, holding a four-minute video pertaining to his future grad life. No pressure.

If an external hard drive had eyes, it would return its stare right back at Darcy.

It has felt like days to him since Fitz dropped off the final cut of the first episode only the night before. So much has happened already, yet nothing happened at the same time. Darcy had two options – 1. He could take it to Dr Reynolds and receive feedback he desperately needs or 2. He could upload it to YouTube now, per Fitz’s request, and wait for feedback of a different kind. On the one hand, the opinions of his mentor outweigh those of mere strangers on the web. However, his best friend’s certainty in obtaining viewership could create interest in their app later on, if introduced. Many sleepless nights squandered, hours of footage scoured and cut, and the last step lies in the hands of a tremulous twenty-something year old grad student. No pressure.

If an external hard drive could talk, it would say, “You look sick. Perhaps sleep it off?”

And a certain roommate would concur. Bing was more than ecstatic that Darcy found a new creative outlet. He and Fitz have worked hard to get it right, but no one should be this stressed off the bat. Yesterday morning, Bing found the kitchen sink still full of dirty dishes from the previous night and knew something was up. He could tell him to take a break or get some rest, but he will always be met with “No time” or “I’m fine”. A year from now, Bing will remember this exact moment and ask himself, “what would have my life turn into if Darcy’s videos had never happened?” He supposed his life would have turned out relatively the same, but for now, present Bing can only hope things will lighten up after the first episode airs, if it ever does.

If an external hard drive had ears, it would hear the cry for attention in Gigi’s voice when she called Darcy later that morning.

During swimming practice, she surpassed her personal record in the 200m free and wanted to share the good news with her former training coach. She wanted to hear his enthusiasm and pride in her accomplishment, but Darcy was distracted and restless. Gigi knew he was up to something when days past without a word from him, so he promises dinner at the house to make up for lost time. It’s the least he could do to shorten the phone call and get back to his thoughts.

“Aunt Cath said she’ll be working late again, so it’d be just us tonight.” she assures through the speaker. Darcy nestles the phone between his right ear and shoulder as he reties his blue bowtie for the third time. His concentration was lost on Gigi and before he could adjust his tie with finality, “William!!” she shouts.

Darcy jumps and launches forward to catch the fallen phone. Now sitting on the bed with a racing heart, he responds “I’m sorry, Gigi. What was that?”

“I said- will Bing be joining us?” she replies with more bite than she intended to. It’s Monday morning and she should really give him the benefit of the doubt.

“I believe he has a previous engagement.” he says jestingly. _Another date tonight. Unbelievable._

She chuckles as she glances at the clock on her nightstand. She’s late and bolts out of bed. “Ooooh my god it’s 8:30?? GottagoI’llcallyoulaterBYE!” The line goes dead. Darcy tosses his phone aside, smiling, until he spots the external hard drive once more and his good mood fades.

In a fit of exasperation, he snatches the hard drive and plugs it into his laptop to open the video file.

* * *

The footage began with a wide-eyed, speechless Darcy. With a gaping mouth, he looks away from the camera to Fitz in chagrin. “Do I just start talking?”

The cameraman does his best to hide his chuckle under fist and a bit lip. “Pretty much.” Fitz replies.

Still unsettled from the numerous attempts beforehand, he still needs reassurance. “Do I discuss a certain topic or-“

“We’ve been through this already. Just introduce yourself and start from there.”

Darcy hangs his head down, taking a moment to close his eyes and collects himself. Seconds later, his strong jaw sets and dimples pierce as his bright eyes greet the camera. “As you can surmise from the first few seconds of this video, vlogging isn’t exactly what you would call my forte. As a mass communications major, I should take comfort or haven in being in front of the camera. However, I commence this vlog to discover the purpose for it. My name is William Darcy and this is my life.”

Everything but the newsboy cap and bowtie disappears and in his place, the words The William Darcy Diaries in horrid Helvetica bold gradually fills the screen. The title bowtie twists to the opening tune and then his face appears once more. Fitz opted for the footage shot on Saturday over the ones from the evening before. The sun was shining brighter, his room looked tidier, and the cap-n-tie apparel felt memorable. Darcy was framed from his chest up, his posture formal, and his face was timid, yet welcoming. His white shirt provided a stark contrast to his light grey walls in the background and with his sleeves rolled up to his elbows, Darcy watched himself brush up his sleeve in awkwardness as he spoke.

“So. I am a 26-year-old grad student, matriculated from the local university a few years ago and returned there to study in Mass Communications. In addition to school, I work two jobs to pay off the immense piles of student loans. And bills, because I do not live at home and have succumbed to a life of eternal regret and self-loathing adulthood.” A snort erupts from the background and the pair of blue eyes dart away from the camera to side-eye the culprit offscreen. A jumpcut and the one-person shot becomes two.

“This is Fitz.” Darcy begins.

“Helloooo, Internet!” Fitz booms. “I am not only the man behind the curtain but I am also the better looking best friend to the man on my right.”

Darcy looks scathingly back at the camera. “And?”

“And life-post grad isn’t as bad as Darcy says.” Fitz complies, before leaning towards the camera. When the screen is filled with nothing but Fitz’s face, he whispers, “it’s so much worse-”, to which Darcy answered with a push and an audible cry from the floor is cut to a one-shot of Darcy again.

Present Darcy paused the video to reminisce on the first two minutes of footage. He makes a mental note to thank Fitz for undertaking editing and exhibiting him in a better light than the first ineffective attempts of filming everything himself. It will take a few more tries to shake off the deer-in-the-headlights gaze and instable, uneasy tone in his deep voice. Watching oneself in vlog form feels unnerving, but he gathers it’s a feeling that would not rid overnight. With pursed lips and scrunched nose, he presses play.

“As you have gathered, I typically go by the name Darcy. My life revolves around my studies and work schedule, however I do my best to not let it dictate my life-”

“HAH! Right.” Fitz snivels offscreen.

Continuing with narrowed-eyes, Darcy lists that he also reads, enjoys bike rides around town, and swims during his downtime. The cameraman took this opportunity to join the other in front of the camera and interrupts what was likely to be more useless banter.

“And, ladies and gentlehunks, when Darcy is not off being his uptight, overtaxing self, he and I do share one project together-”

“Fitz, this is an inappropriate time to-“ “Darce, come on! The people must know-“ [cut]

“Do we have to?-“ “Just tell them!” [cut]

A smiling Fitz bumps his right shoulder into Darcy’s left, hesitant over his friend’s defeat.

“We’ve been working on an app and it’s amazing, man.” Darcy tells with immense casualness.

Annoyed with his nonchalant attitude, Fitz interjects with the enthusiasm the news deserved. “It still needs a few weeks to work out the few kinks, but it’s a video app that records on command. Kinda like Jarv-“ [cut] “NOT like a certain voice-command, savvy computer sentient from a major superhero franchise because we absolutely do not have the rights or technology for that level of awesomeness.”

Darcy smirks at the camera for the first time and continues, “This app, conjoined with this video blog, are the establishments of what is to become my senior thesis. Who knows how long I am capable of maintaining this diary, but I am eager to find out where this journey will take me.”

With just Darcy left in view, he thanks the viewers, reaches towards the camera, and the screen goes dark.

It was good. Not great, but decent enough. Darcy felt his resolve take form and one phone call to Fitz was all he would need, but there was no need. Darcy pulled up the YouTube channel he had set up the night before and after filling in the required fields, he left for his first class of the day. By the time the video was completely processed, Darcy will have driven to campus and phoned Fitz to tell him the good news. Because, really, who has time to wait 132 minutes for a four-minute video to upload? By the time dinner arrives at the de Bourgh house with Darcy in tow, the video is long forgotten.

* * *

The three-story, worn out house had seen better days, but Gigi preferred it that way. It wasn’t ostentatious or shiny. The front entrance was around the back, overlooking their small rose garden and an old stump where a tree formerly stood. The door opens to a narrow hallway down the middle of the house, stretched with aged wooden floors to welcome the owners home even when no one was there. When Catherine de Bourgh brings work home, as she does day after day, the study was at the end of the hall and to the left with the doors open like outstretched arms. Conversely, to the right of the hall was the living room, humble light filtering through the broad windows, across the modest furniture, and through the archway into the kitchen. When Gigi isn’t in her room at the top floor of the house or in her own study on the second floor, she’s typically found on her favorite chocolate brown loveseat in the living room, watching the lights and colors dance around the walls when cars pass by.

Tonight, the habit almost lulled her to sleep when she heard a set of tires meet gravel on the driveway. Gigi bolts from the couch and runs to the windows to wave at her big brother. Darcy sees her and lifts his left hand, holding up the brown paper bag as he strolled towards the back of the house.

With their aunt gone, all etiquettes and china go out the window and the Darcys enjoy their dinner at the couches and as they eat straight out of the containers, they kick their feet up and talk about their day. Uncomfortable silence naturally filled their conversations, stuffing their mouths with as much pasta and panini to swallow words never said.

When the awkward silence grew suffocating, Gigi blurts out “Have you been by the castle today?”

Darcy, unsure how to respond, simply shakes his head.

“Aunt Cath and I drove by it a few times and guys keep crowding by the driveway. I’m no expert on cars but theirs looked expensive.”

 _Rich girl with a rich car. Surprise, surprise._ He sat on this thought as he took another bite of his panini. If he had anything else to contribute to the conversation, it immediately dissipated when the back door opened and the creaking floorboards grew louder. Aunt Catherine appeared from behind and before she could reach for the salad bowl placed in between the two Darcys, Gigi kicks her legs out from under her and places them firmly on the floor while her brother straightens his back and smoothens his tie over. Without a word, their aunt turns on her heels and walks toward her study and before Darcy could breathe a sigh of relief, he hears her call out from the other room, “I hope you went to the dry cleaners, William.” She doesn’t slam the door, but the sound still cut through him.

“I forgot.” he mouthed to Gigi. Her head tilt to the side and raised eyebrows was all she needed to say. Darcy searches the couch for his phone and when he fishes it out, he sees two missed calls and seven text messages.

_Fitz (1:31p) **saw the vid and you need a better title than naming it My Name is Darcy**_

_Fitz (1:35p) **and remind me to teach you how to tag these videos**_

_Fitz (4:18p) **dude, you have 100 views already**_

_Bing (5:22p) **Hey! Do you still need a plus 1 for the wedding?**_

_Fitz (6:06p) **please tell me you emailed Reynolds**_

_Bing (6:53p) **Hey Darcy! Fitz dropped by. I’d tell you to pick up your phone, but you’re probably swimming.**_

_Fitz (7:18p) **you gotta teach me how you made this guacamole darce**_

 

“What’s it say?” Gigi asks, seeking the intention behind the smirk on his face.

“Nothing. Fitz is having dinner at my place.” Darcy responds.

“You’re having dinner again?” It was Darcy’s turn to head-lean and quirk an eyebrow. “Ah.” she grasps.

He begins to collect their half empty containers, averting eye contact and the questions that never form. “I should go before he empties the fridge.”

If she didn’t have finals to think about, she would have pressed him further on his evasiveness. What is he hiding? It didn’t take long for her to find out when she walked on him filming days later.

* * *

With Darcy’s back facing the door, he stops midsentence and turns to find a startled Gigi, his dry cleaning draped over her shoulder.

She slowly walks over to the edge of the bed, scooting next to Darcy. “I- uh, stopped by the dry cleaners and they brought me your stuff along with mine and… what are you doing?” Gigi finally inquires.

Fitz gestures to Darcy to keep going, having no intention to pause. Darcy looks back and forth between the camera and Gigi, praying this gets cut later. “I started a video blog for school. Internet, meet my sister, Georgiana.”

Dubious to what to do next, she waves at the camera and musters up a peering smile. “Gigi!”

“And she was just leaving.” he exclaims.

“Yes, sorry. Bing let me in and told me I could come give this to you”, placing the items into his hands, “and don’t worry about the bill. It’s on me.”

Darcy opens his mouth to object, but surprises her with “Well, to be fair, I am your plus one for the wedding. Thank you.”

They tear their gaze away from the camera and beamed at each other. “You never told me why.” Gigi adds.

Darcy and Fitz share a knowing look and before Darcy looks back at the camera, Gigi lets her brows furrow and looks at the camera in petulant curiosity. “Bing found someone else to take.” Darcy says to the camera.

“He found another date?” Gigi mused.

“Kind of.” he peeves.

“William Darcy, you tell me right now!” she bellows, grasping fistfuls of light blue fabric on his left arm.

He winks at the camera. “You’ll see her at the wedding.”

She smacks his arm and crosses her arms in a huff. Her temper tantrum is short lived when Fitz stops filming and tells her, “Gigi D! Might I just say, the camera absolutely loves you!”

She jolts up from the bed. “Really?”

“Mmmhm. Head over heels!” Gigi claps and dives into Fitz’s open arms for a bear hug. Still wrapped in the embrace, Fitz says in a low voice, “I wish I could make it to the wedding. But don’t worry about Darce over there, he’s just being dramatic for the camera.”

Gigi pulls away. “Reeeaally now.” Fitz takes the dry cleaned dress from her as she turns to a standing Darcy and places her hands on her hips in expectancy.

The anticipation was entertaining enough for the tight-lip elder sibling, so he stuffs his hands into his pockets and smirks. “You will see her at the wedding like everyone else.”

“OH, come on! It’s not like it’s the bride. Well, knowing Bing, he could charm his way to the bride.” Gigi retorts.

Fitz plays along. “And why would he do that?” he asks.

She suddenly slips into the famous de Bourgh drawl. “Because, my dear Fitz. Any man knows a woman who in possession of heaps of fortune must be in want of a husband-mmmmmhm.” The dry cleaning falls wrinkled on the charcoal carpet as the three erupt in laughter.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This has been a very trying week, with Word crashing on me near the very end of it all! But it's done and I'm looking forward to writing the next chapter! Again, thanks to mamaleh6994 for putting up with my tantrums and ice cream. Also, this chapter is dedicated to a dear friend, who's birthday just past mere hours ago. Tsuki, I'm sorry I missed the deadline but I hope you like it. Here are a few tidbits that need to be clarified before we head for the wedding:  
> 1) I tried my best to allow Bing to be easy on the eyes and win a girl over with his smile. We all know him to be the sweetest, kind-hearted man and without the money status, he could be mistaken as a player. I hope I don't ever reflect that in him. He's simply charming and any one of us would fall under his spell.  
> 2) Anyone missing an important character yet? As you can tell, Anniekins is not yet in the picture. She will undoubtedly make her debut later on.  
> 3) I think I will keep with the same Monday/Thursday updates like it has been in LBD for Darcy's. Therefore, if you want clarification as to when his episodes aired, it was April 16th for Episode 1 and 19th for Episode 2. I gather that Fitz left for his work conference after the 2nd episode aired and won't return until Sunday, after the wedding.  
> Boy, he's going to regret that. Thanks again for the comments and kudos, you beautiful muffins :)


	4. William Darcy, Something Blue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Gibson Wedding.
> 
> Enough said.

_Received 17:06:03 Sun 22 of April_

_**Email** : mreynolds@hertford.edu_

_**Subject** : Week One progress_

 

_William,_

 

_Congrats on tackling the daunting task of vlogging. I'm proud of you for taking the risk and working out of your comfort zone. I am confident that this project will flourish into something so much greater with adequate care and attention. What I would like to see from you is a progress report every two weeks with viewership data, thoughts on the continuing content discussed in your videos, and your plans to implement the video app. Do you have a name for it yet? Notify me when you do. I would like to discuss it with other colleagues when it becomes concrete._

 

_I expect a first progress report by this Friday, digital and hard copy._

 

_Dr Melinda Reynolds_

_Department of Mass Communications, UC Hertford_

_Contact: ext 1813, by appointment_

* * *

"My future is on the line and the only YouTube comments I have going for me run along the lines of, 'You are major eye candy' and, 'Can I have your sister's number' … Classy." Darcy scrolls through the channel, reading the comments over to Fitz on Skype.

"Wait, what about the third one from the bottom on the first vid?" the other contemplates.

Fitz hears the click and predictable scoff before Darcy replies, "'Team Fitz.' Hah, get your own video blog."

"How did filming go today?" Fitz asks, counting the seconds that pass in silence. That's not good, Fitz thinks to himself.

"Fine. I managed to get Bing to film with me and we talked about the economy and tools. Manly things, you know?"

"Aww, sarcasm! You really do miss me!" Surrounded by hotel luxuries on the last night of his sales conference, Fitz sits up on the king sized bed to attempt another round of packing. "Do hotels notice if robes go missing? Because this beauty feels like a gift from the cashmere gods."

"I believe they charge you if you take them. Can we get back to me here? It's Sunday, so where are you on the app?" Darcy pleads.

"Got busy here, man! I didn't get around to it. Look, I'll get to adding the upload feature the instant I get home." The tone in his best friend's voice is sincere and absolute.

It has only been seven months ago, when Darcy dragged Bing and Fitz out for a swim and the inception of the video app was planted. The three were not alone in the aquatics facility and after a little friendly competition in the lap pool, they heard a shrill cry coming from the high diving platform. The young diver failed to hold a handstand and tumbled down into the pool, which resulted in a hairline fracture in his left hand. Darcy realized he could have been the first source of aid in calling for medical attention if he and his party were not soaking wet at a time when a phone was needed. It wasn't worth risking miscommunication on the other line if the phone was damaged by the water from their activity. The diver was safe and well, but the thought festered through Darcy's mind until Fitz caught him tinkering with his cell device applications. Weeks turned into months, ideas turned into possibilities, and thus the app was born. Darcy was in charge of overseeing the functionalities and interface of said app, while Fitz was tasked with coding and debugging any major defectives in the software.

If anyone had caught them bickering over a name, one would have thought they fought like a married couple. The first hour of their video conversation was wasted on the name game alone, thus the conversation dragged on later than anticipated. Fitz releases a roaring yawn. "Listen, I've got a flight to catch in the morning. I better see you tomorrow! I need details about Stuart's wedding, 'kay? 'Night, man."

[ _End call_ ]

* * *

When the town heard that Stuart Gibson, Hertford's golden boy at Capitol Hill, was soon to be married to the daughter of some big-named politician, everyone knew it was going to be the event of the year. In the time William Darcy had worked at the country club, he had been a runner for eight weddings, bussed for five others, and willfully attended two. In his experience, weddings were narcissistic, monied, and chaotic, a game of who can put on the next big show. That's exactly what the Gibson wedding was- a big show.

The guest list was longer than the bride's train and the ceremony was filled with wandering eyes. Corduroy suits and sun dresses clashed with Elie Saab, Brooks Brothers, and accessories blindingly glistened in the sunlight. All seven of the bridesmaids were in tears as they shifted uncomfortably in the spring heat, while Stuart's brother and best friend both stood tall with the tenderest of smiles on the other end. Vows were exchanged, rings were passed, and kisses were shared. It truly was a beautiful wedding in all its spectacle, but Darcy's mind was elsewhere and the ceremony was nothing but a blur. From the moment he took his seat at the outdoor venue, with Bing on his right and Gigi on his left, his mind began to wander. What else could he be doing now? Who was running the show backstage? Who set up the floral archway and when had everyone set up the seating arrangements? Of course he knew who was in charge of what, but his mind could not cope with his static situation. There was so much he could be doing at the moment, but here he was, not dressed in uniform with a forced smile and false contentment.

His misery went nowhere but downhill as day turned to night. Aunt Catherine dragged him left and right, shaking hands with names he does not remember and faces he will most likely never see again. The one thing he took comfort in was that with the reception taking place at the country club, the opportunities to escape and hide within the grounds of his territory proved to be a great advantage. It was easy to get lost in the sea of people in attendance, even with his tall stature, and Darcy was about to make his quick getaway when conversations stilled and all eyes focused on the three women standing before the dance floor.

There was nothing breathtaking or garish about their appearances, but their presence alone was magnifying. One was an asian woman, wearing wide-rimmed frames and a creme-colored blazer over a red shift dress, she was accompanied by the two redheads in elegant, yet tastefully understated dresses. It was vexing how at ease they looked under the spotlight, as if they craved the attention, yet Darcy could not move from his spot. He watched as the bride, he later learned her name to be Ellen, hustled across the hall to meet the three girls with flailing arms and high-pitched squeals. He didn't connect the dots as to who they were until he felt Gigi tug at his suspenders and before he knew it, Darcy was standing behind Aunt Cath, unable to hide behind her silhouette. He should have escaped when he had the chance. Surely, his life would have been simpler if he had.

Bing and Darcy would not have met the Bennet sisters.

Gigi would not have convinced him to dance with the bride.

Fitz would not have blackmailed him into standing in the crowd of single men.

Darcy would not have caught the garter.

And he would have gladly missed a certain dance.

* * *

"Hey Internet! Missed me?" Fitz addresses the camera, filming in what appears to not be Darcy's room. Seated next to Fitz was someone who also appears to not be Darcy and as the two rush through the intro, the other man leans towards the camera and says in a hushed voice. "Darcy doesn't know we're filming at the moment." Bing proceeds to bring his index finger to his lips and breaks into a wide grin. [cut]

"As you can tell, Darcy's not here. He had to take an extra shift at work and couldn't film today. Bummer, right? BUT, don't pause just yet! Darceface has been evasive all week and despite the weak mention of the wedding in his last video, I know there's more to the story." Fitz looks over at a blushing Bing.

After all, Bing does live with the man. "Are you sure Darcy would be okay with this? I mean, if he doesn't want to talk about it, shouldn't we just leave it alone?"

"Bing, he went biking yesterday." Fitz reveals.

"… Oh. Wait, why hasn't he told you?" After all, they were attached at the hip.

"I…,” Fitz continues to stretch the syllable as his eyes dart back and forth between Bing and the camera. "I may have blackmailed him into doing something."

"Fitz!"

"Sorry!! Okay, wedding first and blackmail after!" he begs Bing.

"Are you… asking?"

Fitz watches as the other raises his left hand, wiggling his ring finger, and gasps. "One wedding at a time, pretty boy! Now, tell me things!!"

"Haha okay, okay. Well, I wasn't there when everyone first met because I was waiting for Caroline-"

"-Which you mentioned in the last video. Move it along, Lee."

"Okay! When we finally walked into the reception, we found Darcy with Gigi and Ms. de Bourgh, talking to three women who were new to the town. They knew the bride back in the day and actually, two of them are staying here for the summer at that-"

"Bing..."

"Right, sorry. So, we walked over and Caroline was excited to see Gigi, she completely disregarded Jane, Lizzie, and Charlotte, and they walked away from the group. Ms. de Bourgh introduced me to them and they're really nice people, Fitz."

"You think everyone's really nice people."

"Do not."

"Do too."

"Do not-"

[cut]

Bing rolls his eyes. "Can I continue? Anyways, we chatted for a while and Jane spoke about Netherfield, their house by Main, and Jane asked about what I do in grad school. Jane also talked about what she did for a living. Did you know she designs her own clothes, too? Anyways, she wanted to know more about the town, but Jane had to return to her table for dinner."

Fitz doesn't realize he is wearing a goofy grin on his face until Bing stops talking and stares back in confusion and quickly snaps out of it. "Sorry, man. Jane seems… nice."

"Yeah." Bing looks down and his face falls to a small smile, eyes lost in a memory.

"Is she the one you danced with all night? Darcy texted me saying you were, ' ** _Getting lost in someone's smile_**.'"

"First off, I danced with Caroline, Lizzie, and Charlotte too. Charlotte's amazing on the dance floor! Second, what is wrong with somebody smiling? Jane has a beautiful smile!"

"I'm sure she does! Darcy also texted, _**Never dancing again**_." He throws an accusative look to the camera. "Now, I've seen his moves and he's an all right dancer."

"He seemed okay after the first time," Bing adds.

"Whoaaa, first time?"

"You know, after all the first dances with the couple and the parents, there was this money dance where everyone pins their dollar bills to the newlyweds, while the girls dance with groom and guys with the bride. Gigi had to practically drag Darcy onto the dance floor for that!"

"She did not!"

"And Darcy didn't have money on him, so de Bourgh rushed to them with a pin and stops their dance to pin the money!" Bing shares a sympathetic smile with the camera.

"No!!" Fitz covers his mouth in shock.

"It was my turn after him, so I couldn't follow Darcy. He was definitely fuming. It took a while for me to find him, but I eventually found him and Caroline in the Rec Room."

"Well, that explains the text I got after I asked how the reception was going. He said -"

 

" _ **Don't know. Don't ask** **.**_ "

* * *

The familiar, deep voice finishes from behind the two. Bing's widened eyes met Fitz's gobsmacked face as Darcy's torso enters the frame. Darcy situates himself to sit between his two guilty, shameful best friends. Silence fills the room and Fitz is the first one to break it. "Heyyyy Darcy! How was work?"

"Busy. I see that you two have been busy as well." Darcy eyes the camera and shakes his head.

Bing turns to his roommate with puppy-dog eyes. "I am so sorry! Fitz stormed in here, saying he needed my help and-"

"It's fine. Fitz can be very… persuasive when he wants to be," Darcy admits to the camera, more than to Bing.

"Hey!! Look," Fitz starts, running a hand through his mane, "I know you've been busy this week, but you've been avoiding me since the wedding! Now, what happened that was so terrible?"

"You blackmailed me, remember?" Darcy looks straight into the camera. "I was fine to leave the reception early. It was tiring enough what with Caroline handing Gigi one wine glass after another, Aunt Cath gloating over her accomplishments at the club, even YOU," gesturing his head to his roommate on the right," were busy with Jane Bennet."

Darcy takes a breath, deciding that if Fitz needs to know, it's now or never.

"I'm sorry you had to miss the wedding, Fitz. I know you and Stuart were childhood friends, but even if I was attending 'in your place', I wasn't having a great time. You texted me as I was about to withdraw from the hall. It wasn't terribly late, but you said, and I quote, ' _ **Q** **uit being an old man and get back in there**_!'"

"It was 10!" the culprit interjects.

"That's beside the point. I said I was tired, but after a few rounds of harmless threats, he turns on me and blackmails me. I won't say with what, but he forced my hand and I returned to the reception just as they were… doing the garter toss." A snort erupts from Bing, which ignites a chuckle from Fitz. The timing of the garter toss was impeccable, to say the least. Darcy returned to the reception from the outdoor balcony, which was at the far end from where his table was located. Unaware of what was happening on the dance floor, his attempt to dodge the crowd took a turn for the worst. Cursed with a tall physique, the garter flew above the heads of the single men who were at the ready and hit Darcy's temple with a thwack. He was startled by the abrupt hit and he tried to shoo away the unidentified object, but the garter was now in his hands and he froze at the realization.

Bing interrupts Darcy. "I didn't even know he was there at all until the DJ announced the two dancers."

"Who was the lucky lady?" Fitz sees the suppressed smile on Bing's face and looks over at Darcy to find his ears have turned red. His nostrils begin to flare and Fitz prepares himself for the worst. Was it Caroline? Cruella?

"Lizzie Bennet," Darcy replies with revulsion.

Darcy had been paralyzed from the garter toss and could not move from his spot as the men left the dance floor. A slow, love ballad started to play over the booming speakers and Darcy didn't respond to the tap on his shoulder until a haze of blue ruffle shuffled in front of him and a hand waving at his face woke him from his catatonic state. The song continued to play and Lizzie stood with a dumbfound Darcy.

"I believe this is where you put your arms around me?" Lizzie snarked over the music.

He didn't catch the last words and replied, "What?"

Fed up with the awkward situation, she grabbed his hands and firmly placed them on the right parts of her petite form and started to sway. Darcy was growing timorous from the gaze of everyone in the room and the attention began to suffocate him. How long was this song?

Darcy tried to count the times they swayed left and right and missed what Lizzie asked. "I'm sorry?"

"God, are you deaf? I said, how do you know Stuart?" she repeated.

"Friend of a friend," he responded.

"Ah." The tune stretched on and Lizzie looked down and smoothed down the blue lace that caught on Darcy's pants. He followed her downward gaze to where the knee-length dress snagged and Lizzie took the opportunity to attempt conversation once more. "My sister, Jane, made this dress."

"Oh," was all that escaped from Darcy's lips and they fell into an uncomfortable sway, back and forth.

Her eyes focused on his lavender bowtie when she wasn't exchanging exasperated looks with her sister and best friend. Darcy had the height advantage to avoid her gaze entirely.

"What do you do for a living?" she coaxed.

There was no need to embellish or impress her in the slightest, he owed her nothing but the truth. "I buss tables and help with the kitchens here. At the country club. Among other things."

Darcy felt her hands flinch in response. "Oh. Uh, sounds nice!" Lizzie tried to smile, but her face contorted into a grimace and he knew that she was now mocking him. Finally, nearing the end of the dance, Lizzie bolted from Darcy's arms seconds before the song finished and abandoned Darcy on the dance floor. The stunned silence soon filled with a low buzz, but he heard a cackle in the distance and his eyes darted to the back of the redhead, sharing a laugh with her friend, Charlotte.

* * *

"Dude, that's cold," Fitz says, now having heard the entire story.

"That was the catalyst. My last straw. I grabbed my jacket and got out of there as fast as I could. Aunt Cath tried to make a whole scene out of it, hassling me to stay. I was livid. I had to leave."

Bing places his hand on his friend's arm. "I'm sorry."

"I'm sure she didn't really mean it," Fitz tries to reassure him.

Darcy scoffs. "Thank you, but you were not there. You didn't see the dread, the disgust in her reaction. She's repulsed. I get it."

"She was not," Bing defends. "I spent the entire night with the three of them and they're loving people."

"Bing…" Darcy pleads.

"Despite what happened, don't let it get to you, ‘kay?" Fitz reasons with the troubled man.

"I know. Snobby Miss Bitchy will have no vigor on me from this moment forward," Darcy bites back. He realizes the camera is still rolling and leans forward to shut it off.

The next day, the video update increased viewership to 400% and by the end of the week, Dr Reynolds received the progress report for the beginning of Darcy's long, life-altering video diary of his friends, his sister, and eventually a girl named Lizzie.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HUGE thanks to Rabe, mamaleh6994 and lorelaisquared for being fantastic betas this week. I admit that the pressure to get this chapter right led to major procrastination. Sorry about that. Now that we've met the girls, here's some things to think about while you wait for the next chapter.
> 
> 1) I did write up a version where the entire Bennet family attended the wedding, and then one with all three bennet sisters, then just jane and lizzie, and decided to throw in Charlotte at the last minute. Charlotte's attendance is necessary for a later thing.
> 
> 2) I wanted Gigi to be more involved with this chapter's reveal about the dance, but I decided to focus on the three gentlehunks on camera. The boys needed a bro moment.
> 
> 3) I've been waiting for over a month to write that last line. FINALLY!!
> 
> All the comments and kudos make my heart sing. Keep it singing! Thanks again!


	5. William Darcy, Short Circuit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two surprises showed up on their apartment doorstep.

_Fitz (4:03)_ **_its creepy_ **

_Darcy (4:05)_ **_No, it's not._ **

_Fitz (4:05)_ **_yeah it is_ **

_Fitz (4:06)_ **_just look at him_ **

_Darcy (4:06)_ **_You're creeping me out._ **

_Fitz (4:08)_ **_Darcy look at me_ **

_Darcy (4:08)_ **_No_ ** _._

_Fitz (4:09)_ **_LOOK!_ **

_Darcy (4:10)_ **_I can't take you anywhere._ **

_Fitz (4:14)_ **_he's doing it again_ **

_Fitz (4:14)_ **_Bings smiling at his phone again_ **

_Fitz (4:16)_ **_is this normal? these lovebirds have been at it all day_ **

_Fitz (4:17)_ **_HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO GET COFFEE WOMAN_ **

_Darcy (4:21)_ **_I was ordering. And for that tone, I'm going to make you pick up your drink._ **

_Fitz (4:23)_ **_you wouldnt dare_ **

_Darcy (4:24)_ **_Stop staring at Bing_ ** _._

_Fitz (4:24)_ **_I hate you_ **

_Darcy (4:26)_ **_I know_ ** _._

 

There are three stages to what Fitz calls "Darcy's Week of Insomnia," which falls on the days prior to finals week. The first stage is attire. Everyday Darcy sports a dress shirt, a tie or bowtie, suspenders if he feels daring, and dark wash jeans. Insomnia Week Darcy follows the same dress code, but those who are attune to the finite details can spot the difference.

Sometimes it's the lint he missed over his right shoulder and other times it's a missed step in the way he tied his bowtie. One time, his shoelaces were tied double-knot. If Darcy is not spotted with a tie, direct the man to the nearest couch or place of rest, preferably a king-sized mattress.

The second stage is cleanliness. If the apartment or vehicle smells of chlorine and lavender, not only is Insomnia Week Darcy sleep deprived, he is also slightly lightheaded. Do not approach if he is seen with latex gloves. Darcy will eliminate target on sight, most likely with the death glare alone. The best way to lure him is to spill a cold beverage on carpet or a pillowcase and wait.

And as for the third stage, it requires the upmost attention. It is called The Short Circuit. It happens lightning fast and one blink is the difference between food on the table and food in the Playstation. Everyday Darcy is meticulous and concise, however Insomnia Week Darcy will perform the same steps to cook or make a phone call until that fraction of second, where he freezes, and the aftereffects are unpredictable. The best chance to prevent future disasters, such as when he believed the best way to wash Gigi's stuffed bear was in an oven in '04, is to spot the short circuit and tackle him at all costs.

It was the fifth day into Insomnia Week, in the campus coffee shop, when Darcy, Bing, and Fitz were asked to leave after the two gentlemen were seen attacking the third party near the bar. One swore it was for the betterment of the human race. 

* * *

"Hi Internet! For those who don't know who I am, my name is Bing and Darcy's in hibernation." He has been on camera before, but Bing felt addled for his first solo vlog. Fitz neglected to hand him a tripod before he left for work and Darcy knew how to navigate the camera better than he could. In addition, Bing had his own exams to think about and decided to multitask in the kitchen. Amidst the piles of books and papers, the camera was propped at the peak of the chaos and adjusted the camera angle to suit his tall form. 

"Darcy has final exams coming up and he's been getting very little sleep in the process. An incident happened the other day and in result of that, Fitz and I thought it was in Darcy's best interest for him to get some rest. You see-". 

_Knock-knock-knock. Knock-knock-knock._

Strange, he thought to himself. The door was unlocked, but the thumping heard in the background prompted Bing to exited out of frame to answer the door. After a few moments of indistinct mumbling, Bing returned on camera with the visitor, sinking into the chair to his left in exhaustion. Still unaware of the camera, she continued to complain about missing her flight and the rough cab ride back until she spotted a blinking light in the corner of her eye and her distress vanished into a mocking snort.

"Bing, are you recording yourself studying? Is this what girls are into these days?" She began to poke his torso as he protested her accusations.

"Caroline, stop!! It's for Darcy! Stop it!" Bing replied in between jabs.

Her face brightened at the mention of his roommate's name. "Wait, wait. Darcy's into watching you study? Dirty!"

"Funny." The teasing prods dropped and Bing rolled his eyes as he smoothed his black fitted tee. "It's Darcy's project for school and he just talks to the camera a few times a week."

Caroline's eyes widened in horror at the scene in front of her. "Will this be online?"

"YouTube."

"Shit. Shit! Give me five minutes!" She left the frame in a blur.

The med student was able to finish an entire chapter outline, a short quiz, and a first draft of an upcoming presentation before Caroline finished freshening up. She grabbed the chair on the other side of Bing and scooted as close to her brother until their shoulders touched. With one huff, she smiled at the empty camera.

"Hi! I'm back-"

"It's not recording," Bing interrupted, never looking up from his notebook. "I had to charge the battery because _someone_ took too long."

"You went on without me? What could you possibly talk about for," Caroline looked around for the kitchen clock, "… 45 minutes?"

Bing lifted his head and turned to the microwave. "That's still broken. And filming doesn't take more than ten minutes, so I talked about my week with you, Darcy, and Jane."

It had been two weeks since the wedding and the lovesick Bing managed to sneak in the rich redhead's name into almost every conversation. Jane this. Jane that. She was just a socialite with dreadful milk braids who needs to take her sewing kit and scurry back to her little company. Bing can do so much better. By the end of Caroline's intended stay, Jane Bennet's name was immediately followed by Caroline's condescending scoff. "Jane? Oh, please! We can talk about more interesting things than your nerd sexting."

Bing pleads, "Caroline."

Her obtrusive act dropped and the two began to check flight plans for her next departure to Los Angeles. Granted, taking the train would get her home sooner than the cheapest flight out in the evening, but she had no patience for motion sickness. Tab after tab opened with different prices and airline schedules, they were knee deep in discussion about the ethics of flying after 2am when a delirious Darcy cleared his throat from behind them.

"Bing, I think I am running a fever. I'm hallucinating Caroline, sitting in our kitchen," Darcy teased, his voice still raw and dry from his slumber.

Caroline felt her smile radiate over her body as she perked up. "Morning, Sleeping Beauty."

If he could lift his eyelids, Darcy would return the retort in a narrowed gaze. "Who kissed me?" Bing erupted in a booming laugh as his sister tried to shake off her blush. It was unclear whose stomach was grumbling at the moment, but the three agreed it was time for a home-cooked meal.

* * *

Much of the dinner was prepared by the two roommates, while much of the texting and calling was heavily conversed by Caroline. Gigi coincidentally arrived after all the hard labor cooking and dashed into Darcy's room to drag the extra chair to the small table. The evening fell into a comfortable rhythm and the apartment filled with lively conversations. Bing recounted the incident at the coffee shop to Gigi while his sister filled Darcy in on her tiresome day in full dramatization. The boys talked about the boring school stuff and the girls discussed the possibilities of living together after the younger Darcy offered the guest room at the de Bourgh house for Caroline to stay.

“Gigi, shouldn’t you be asking Aunt Catherine about this before inviting Caroline to stay for the weekend?” Darcy countered.

“Psh, I’m sure she’ll be okay with it,” she replied and turned back to her friend. “Aunt Cath adores you!”

She didn't have to say it, but Gigi had always thought of Caroline like a sister. Ever since Bing and Darcy met, during their first year in college, Gigi had been drawn to the Lee family. The distance from LA to school was only a short roadtrip away and Bing’s family visited often, especially after the Darcys’ passing. Their parents were founders of a private practice and offered to help with their grief and trauma before Aunt Catherine came into the picture. Every visit from them was like a breath of fresh air and when business started to pick up at their practice, Caroline vouched in their place. Since then, Gigi looked up to her and enjoyed being spoiled by her. Albeit, Darcy believed there were better role models out there, but, for now, Caroline would do.

Every plate was licked clean and dinner was abandoned as they carried on their conversations to the living room. Fitz joined their little soiree soon after, with a bandage wrapped around his right forearm. When asked about his injury, the retelling of Short Circuit Darcy returned in full force, apparently with explosions and the cute coffee shop guy asks for his phone number in the end credits. It's definitely what one does after saving the world.

"And they lived happily ever after with 2.5 dogs and endless cups of coffee." Fitz reached for a couch cushion and placed it on his chest in a tight cuddle.

The group rated the movie three-and-a-half stars.

Darcy defended his two stars with, "The pacing was slow at first and felt rushed towards the end of the third act. I felt that the hero could have done without the love interest in the end, moreover no one would want to watch half of a canine walk onto the screen."

Fitz raised his injured arm and cradled it with the other hand. "Ouch, Darceface. After all I had done for you."

"The hero was well cast, though," the critic offered.

"Damn right, he was."

"And I was sidekick?" Bing chimed in.

"I was going to make you my partner in crime, but when your phone went off, you left me with no choice," Fitz replied.

"I. It… Jane wanted to know our address," Bing confessed and the group rated his decision two stars.

Darcy pinched the bridge of his nose to ask the obvious question. "Alright, Bing. Why does she need it?"

The confessor shrugged. "She said she wanted to send something."

"Aww, they're not coming over?" Gigi whined.

"Jane and Lizzie are busy with work tonight." As he spoke, his phone buzzed in his hands and smiled down at the screen.

"Okay then," Caroline grumbled as she stood up and turned to Gigi. "I'm completely beat. Shall we call it a night?"

"We shall!" Gigi extended her arms for Caroline to pull. When she turned down the gesture, Gigi threatened to make her walk to the house.

"You're a brat," Caroline taunted.

"Tell me about it," Darcy said

* * *

In Dr Reynolds' response to Darcy's third progress report, she commended him for introducing the audience to the important people in his life. She also comments on what episode content drove what ratings and the discussions amongst the viewers. The last thing Reynolds suggested was something he and Fitz contemplated filming, but never got around to it. Now that it had been brought to his attention, the need to rise up to the challenge had to be remedied right away. Darcy tweeted and messaged his loyal viewers to send in questions for the filming of their first Q&A and by the next day Fitz picked the best ones to grill him on.

The mystery questions ranged from general to downright personal and the cameraman was eager to see how Darcy responds. They wanted to know about the books stacked on his bedside table and where he bought his clothes. He replied with a little bit of show and tell and plugged his favorite thrift store. They asked about their progress on the app and when they expect to see it. Fitz butted in and explained that it'll need a couple more weeks. They wanted to know more about the coffee shop incident and Fitz happily showed his battle wounds before darting off-camera. They inquired about Bing and Caroline and when they'll meet her. Darcy rolled his eyes and told them that the only way she'd return is if she barged in his room. The only person he has personally invited to his videos was Fitz and told them so.

"Bing was invited. No, wait. That was me," Fitz called from behind the camera. He looked down at the last question, doubting his judgement for choosing it, and prepared himself for Darcy's reaction. Bing suddenly appeared at the door and Darcy turned, which gave Fitz a huge sigh of relief.

Before Bing entered the room and frame, he bent down to reach for something hidden in the hallway.

"Bing, you're giving the audience quite a show," Darcy quipped when his roommate snapped up in embarrassment. [ _cut_ ] For a moment, Bing disappeared into the hallway and finally, with a decorated box in his hands, Bing joined Darcy on camera at the foot of the bed.

Fitz waited for Darcy to speak first, but Darcy continued to stare at the box in between them and waited for the explanation behind it.

"This," Bing placed his hands on the lid of the box, "is a care package from Jane!" Fitz kept recording as the two opened the care package and reviewed the assorted cookies, puzzles, stuffed animals, and scented bath oils. At the bottom of the box, an envelope was taped securely with Bing's name written in fine script. He didn’t open it, but winked at the camera before putting it away to read privately later.

Bing turned to Darcy while they returned the items back in the patterned box. "Isn't this great? I told you Jane is amazing."

"It's just a care package," Darcy replied, waving the bag of sugar cookies in front of Bing's face.

"Hey! It's the thought that counts. Do you think I should send her flowers?" Bing asked, more to himself than to Darcy.

Darcy responded by rolling his eyes. "Taking a step back from flirty texting and sending each other flirty gifts now, are we?"

Although he knew that Darcy was joking, the retort hit a nerve in Bing and he dismissed himself before exiting out of frame. [ _cut_ ]

Fitz joined his best friend on camera, Q&A notecards still in hand. "Dude, you could have lightened up a bit with the care package ordeal."

"It's just a package! By the way, did you see what was in there? I am sure the contents of the entire box cost more than this month's rent. For all we know, those cookies could be poisonous." Darcy shifted in his spot.

"Wow, paranoid much? Is there a problem with Jane that I don't know about?" Fitz instigated.

When the other sat in frustrated silence, Fitz continued his line of questioning. "Aside from your issues with Lizzie Bennet, name one problem you have with Jane."

Darcy avoided his best friend's gaze and shifted his eyes down to the notecards. "Isn't there one more you needed to ask me?"

"Answer mine first!" Fitz then hid the cards behind him and repeated those three words when Darcy tried to reach for them.

"What does it say?" "No!" [ _cut_ ] "Give me the card." "Answer me first!" [ _cut_ ]

The last few seconds of the Q&A resulted in Darcy snatching the card from Fitz. When he read the last question to himself and paused in sullen confusion. Darcy's expression was perplexing and when the seconds past with no reply, Fitz reached toward the camera to stop recording.

 

**_You mention Bing, your sister, and your Aunt quite a lot in your videos. I would like to know why you haven’t mentioned your parents? What do they do for a living and how often do you see them?_ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In the words of Cosima in Orphan Black, "Kind of always late, so kind of always sorry." I'm thinking about taking a break next week to catch up on writing, so that I can get ahead of myself by the time I update chapter six. As always, the Emmy goes to Kat, Rabe, mamaleh6994, and lorelaisquared for excellence in beta and ice cream. Thank you all so much for reading (my goodness THE HITS!). Here's some yummy tidbits for you before the long wait for chapter six:
> 
> 1) I wasn't going to bring Caroline in this early in the fic, but inspiration hit me a few days ago and the next week off for writing is gonna include the major shift due to her early arrival. It's up to you to decide if she has an agenda while stuck in town.
> 
> 2) *gasp* Jane made the first move! Kind of refreshing to see her initiate the grand gesture first.
> 
> 3) ... Lizzie will be in the next chapter. WHAT!?
> 
> And now I wait for the second episode of Emma Approved! Kudos and comments makes the episode come faster... ;)


	6. William Darcy, Uncut

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "My name is William Darcy and I'd like to introduce you to my parents."

_Hey! You've reached Gigi Darcy. I'm not here, so please leave a message. Thanks! (beep)_

**_Gigi, it's William. Listen, I know my last text said to call back soon, but there is no need. I'm… I'll see you later, okay?_ **

_Hey! You've reached Gigi Darcy. I'm not here, so please leave a message. Thanks! (beep)_

**_… (click)_ **

* * *

His thumb hovered over the call button, counting the seconds it took for his guilt to lift before turning off his phone. Gigi would be angry with him when she finds out where he'd been, but her tantrums never last long. This decision had kept him up for most of the night and with his back to back work schedule, a visit ought to be the last thing on his calendar and yet here he was at the cemetery. With no one but the birds and the rising sun to keep him company, Darcy slipped his phone into his shoulder bag and took a seat before his parents.

He placed his bag aside and fished out an origami lily flower from the front pocket to rest on their gravestone. "Dad. Mom. I didn't have sufficient time this morning to roll the petals down, but this is for you." He began to dig into his bag for a pen as a stem. After he used the pen to produce petals and stuck the folded flower to the ground, he laughed at his feeble creation. Gigi would have teased him for his poor execution and present them with a perfect bouquet at the ready.

"I tried to reach Gigi, but it's almost Swim Week and she needs all the rest she can get. My apologies."

It seemed like a good time to stop, say his farewells, and perhaps grab coffee before heading to the country club, but the purpose of his visit was not to talk about origami and Gigi. What he really wanted to talk about was them and to ask for their permission, not that he really needed it. The last Q&A question hung over him and it agitated him that it wasn't up to him to decide to share his story with the Internet. He didn't want their pity, but he was William Darcy and he must always follow through. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and exhaled into the cool morning air.

"Mom, I'm sure you will get a kick out of this. I started a video blog on YouTube. It's for my thesis, alongside the app that is still in development. Fitz and I have been working on it around the clock. We're so close, I think it's ready for a live beta test. However, that is not what I came here for. It has come to my attention that… Well, my viewers have taken an interest in my life and they asked about you. Both of you. Where you are, what you do, and how often we talk." Darcy paused, imagining the chuckle that his father would have emitted. William S Darcy, accountant by day, superdad by night. Oh, how that would have sounded on camera. Real Estate agent and amazing mother, Anne, would be by his side, commenting on how observant the viewers must be.

"They are quite observant aren't they?" Darcy answered her unspoken comment. "Bing and Fitz believe that we have a fan base, but it's too soon to tell.  They already adore Gigi and I think they would have loved you, too. Dad, you would have spent a good episode ranting about the newest rich family in town that Mom would have had to deal with. You would not believe the women who are staying at the house on Main. Bing and I met them at Stuart Gibson's wedding. One of them, Jane Bennet, bought the house and they've been here for almost a month. Her sister, Lizzie," he barely chewed out in chagrin, "she's made her discontent about her current living quarters perfectly clear."

If he had more time, he would have also told them about the Bennets' hired driver for their town car, the most awkward dance ever, and the developing courtship between Bing and Jane. There’s time for that later. For now, he needed to ask them the one thing that had been festering his mind for the past couple of days.

"What do I tell them?"

* * *

_You have reached William Darcy. Please leave a message after the tone. (beep)_

**_Darcy, it's Bing! When you get a break, will you please call me back? Thanks._ **

_You have reached William Darcy. Please leave a message after the tone. (beep)_

**_It's Bing again. I'm not sure if you got my text, but if you have, could you let me know if you could make it? Let me know._ **

_You have reached William Darcy. Please leave a message after the tone. (beep)_

**_Daarrrrrcy. Jane and I would like to know if dinner will be for three or for five tomorrow night? She said something about a chef and counting heads. Okay, that sounds scary. Do I tell her she can have your head or not? I asked Caroline if she wanted to join and she said she's not going if you're not there. Please come!_ **

* * *

Dragging his feet as he walked through his bedroom door, Darcy drops his belongings on the floor and, face first, falls over on to the bed. With his exhausting double-shift, disappointment in restricted hours at the aquatics facility, and forgetting his phone charger; a shower and rest for the remainder of what's left of the night sounds tempting. He knows the moment his head leaves the serene, billowy pillow, he will regret this decision. As he carefully turns himself over on his back, Darcy glances over at the tripod standing by the end of the bed.

"Damn," he groans. As much as he would love to share the workload with Fitz, Darcy has to do this one alone. With newfound willpower, he parts with the pillow to never meet again until the early hours of the morning.

As he slips on his glasses, he reviews the notes he had written during his breaks and quietly rehearses what he plans to say on camera. His aim was for a short, need-to-know approach, but when the camera starts recording, a knot develops in the pit of his stomach. For the first time since his first recording, Darcy freezes in front of the camera and panic takes place where his prepared speech had once been. He doesn't know it yet, but what he’s about to film becomes salient. It transforms into something pivotal. It's going to shift and shape his life and the people around him. He unclenches his fists, sits up straight, and looks directly at the camera.

"My name is William Darcy and I'd like to introduce you to my parents." He takes a book from his right and opens it up, just below the bottom of the camera frame. The photo had been tucked in between the pages, in pristine condition after all these years, and after Darcy shuts the book, he looks down fondly at the candid picture of the once whole Darcy family.

It was his high school graduation and Fitz agreed to commandeer the camera during the eventful night. The memory is fleeting, but Darcy recalls his mother saying something endearing about how proud she was and pulling him into a surprise hug. In the background, his father laughs with a giddy Gigi and Fitz snaps a picture and just misses the wide smile on Darcy's face. Mrs Darcy  then lets her son go from her grasp and she turns to the camera with glistening eyes. Snap. Her gaze turns towards her husband and their shared look of awe and love is now the photo that sits in Darcy's hands today.

"This is my favorite photo of them and this is how I like to remember them. I was named after my dad, William. This is my mother, Anne Darcy. They were the most hardworking, silly, and loving parents any kid could ask for. Gigi was your typical daddy's little girl. Still is. Seven years ago, the day before Halloween, they were in a car accident and my life changed forever. One day they were here and the next,-" Darcy's words catch in his throat. He pauses to adjust his glasses, blinking to fight back the tears.

"A few months after the accident, our Aunt Catherine came into the picture as our legal guardian. She was… she was tough to swallow. We still have our differences and despite my feelings about her, I don't know what I would have done about Gigi without her. I was young, in college, and financially unable to take care of my own sister. I hope my aunt never finds this vlog because through all the frustrations and bitterness, I still very much would like to thank her. For everything."

He places the photo back in the book, shaking his head at his confession. His plan to be concise and reserved turned into something so much more. He never intended to tell his viewers about the car accident or his troubles with Gigi and Aunt Cath. Feeling warm in his navy blue knit sweater, he rolls up his sleeves to his elbows before he continues his story.

"I realize that I don't share much of my life with you. The truth is, there are very few people I let into my life, let alone talk to about my past. Gigi and I think about our parents every single day. I miss them so much. I am thankful for Fitz and Bing. Caroline too, somewhat. Their families have been supportive and caring throughout the past several years. Now you are a part of that. Despite what I have told you today, you have been watching my prosaic life unfold and have been so, uh, enthusiastic in return. I'm sure my parents would have loved to meet you all, too." On that note, Darcy leans forward to end recording.

When it aired the next morning, without William rewatching or editing it, the uncut episode made its debut on the suggestions page on YouTube. 

* * *

_Hi! Bing Lee could not reach you at this time, but please leave a message and he'll get back to you as soon as he can. Thank you. (beep)_

**_Hey Bing, it's Gigi! Are you at the apartment? If so, is William with you? I've been trying to reach him all day, but his phone's off. When you see him, tell him to call me back! I mean, I'm his sister, for crying out loud!! Oh, Caroline says you should call her back, too. What is it with you boys and your phones today? Anyways, let me know if you seen him around or I'll release the hounds! Bing Lee, you've been warned._ **

Across town, Gigi was watching her brother’s newest video and was blindsided by the rush of emotions coursing through her. She felt touched, betrayed, proud, confused, irate, and glum all at once. Did she want to scream, cry, or smile? Had  William tried to warn her about this video and backed out the last minute? Is that what the voicemails meant? Why the hell isn’t he picking up his phone? She watched the video over and over again, paused at the photo of her late parents and fast-forwarded to his gratitude towards Aunt Catherine. He did say he didn’t want her to find out about these videos, but Gigi daydreamed of the soft look on her guardian’s face after watching William’s confession. As odd and wonderful as it sounded, it didn’t explain why her brother, the most private person she knows, would share their story with the Internet without confiding in her first. Did William think she would say no or did he believe she couldn’t deal with the grief? Why won't he pick up the phone?

When Caroline informed her that she would need a ride to Netherfield for dinner with Bing and Darcy, Gigi decided it was time to take matters into her own hands and confront him that evening.

It was the third week of May and Bing's first US Medical Licensing Exam, or as he called it, "U-SMiLE", was mere days away. Darcy's final exams fell in the same week and both of them have not seen much of each other in the past few days. With Jane's dinner at Netherfield that evening, Bing hoped Darcy would take a break from everything and join them for the night, so that Caroline would attend as well and officially meet Jane outside of the Gibson Wedding. The dinner would also give Darcy another chance to get to know Lizzie Bennet and everyone would get along or be as civilized as Bing had wanted from day one. In a few years, that wish would come true, but in order for things to get better, worst things must unfold and the dinner at Netherfield was anything but pleasant.

It all started when Darcy accepted the invitation. He was neck-deep in revisions for his term paper, when Bing hunted him down at the campus union cafe. After numerous attempts of begging and bribing, Bing offered to revise his immaculate writing assessment to submit online before dinner. Perhaps it was a moment of weakness, but Darcy could not look at the english language any longer and agreed. If anything, he could excuse himself after dinner and return to the apartment to spare some app time with Fitz. When he asked Bing why he never asked him sooner, the other explained that everyone had been trying to reach him for days with no success. Darcy felt triumphant that he remembered to bring his charger this time, but it was short-lived when he realized he’d left his phone at the apartment.

It was easy to convince Caroline to accompany them after Darcy's compliance, however Bing should have asked her about her mode of transportation to the Netherfield house. If he had known that Ms de Bourgh would be driving both Caroline and Gigi to dinner, Bing would have asked his sister to carpool with him. In spite of everything, Bing had managed to get Darcy and Caroline to attend and that was all he needed to know for now.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, my lovelies! From now on, I think I have my writing schedule set for this fic to update every 4-5 days or so. *crosses fingers* As always, thank you to Kath, mamaleh6994, and lorelaisquared for perfecting the art of physics and ice cream. Special shout out to my friend Cat (short for Catena, not Catherine or an actual cat... I don't have a cat) for pulling me out when I was stuck. Now, here's your FOUR teasers for chapter seven, which is soon to become my favorite thus far!
> 
> 1) The Lee parents are in town for the week and Caroline's not happy about it.
> 
> 2) Catherine de Bourgh is a terrible cook.
> 
> 3) A certain app is ready for beta testing. Or is it?
> 
> 4) "My name is Fitz, he's Bing, and William Darcy is in denial."


	7. William Darcy, Silver Spoon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A disastrous dinner unfolds on camera, prompting the Darcys, Lees, and Bennets to head to Carter's.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You are going to need [this](http://8tracks.com/messrmarius/a-night-at-carter-s) for later ;)

“Your audio is coming through, but the video feed is on a delay.”

Fitz cursed under his breath. “Man, It wasn’t like this yesterday! You’re coming through fine on my end.”

“Maybe it’s your wifi connection,” Darcy contemplated. It had been a day since he received an email from Dr Reynolds, in which she requested a demonstration of the app for his next progress report drop-off on Friday. When he asked if it needed to be properly functioning, his email remained unanswered. With an exam to study for on top of that, the next forty-eight hours were crucial and had to be utilized productively. He peeled his attention away from his phone, refreshed his email page, and returned to Fitz with no news from Reynolds.

“Aside from connectivity issues, how does everything else look?” Fitz asked, while he switched from the video option to audio on Darcy’s phone. A notification pops up at the bottom right of Fitz’s computer screen.

 **WD** : _Does this messaging feature connect to the phone provider’s text messages?_

 **FW** : _not automatically. itll be a manual option when it requests access to pictures and location._

 **WD** : _Thank you._

 **FW** : _no prob_

Darcy stood up from his desk and walked over to the closet with the phone held up to his face. “Hey, I need to get ready to pick up Gigi from practice. Can you call me back with the app in an hour or so? On your phone this time, please.”

“Yeah, sure. You might get an app update from me beforehand, so make sure you charge your phone. Tell Gigi I say hi! … End recording. End recording? Oh my god. End recording!” Fitz repeated the command over and over again with no response.

Darcy switched off the video feed to hide his smirk from the other. “Shall we ruminate on the topic of its name later?”

“Shut up! It’s gonna work!”

[ **FW is offline** ]

[ **WD is offline** ]

* * *

It had been several days since the Netherfield dinner and Darcy was not looking forward to a car ride with a frantic Gigi. Despite Gigi’s numerous text messages to call and discuss the long-awaited conversation, Darcy hastily declined and demanded to talk it through in person. It was enough time apart from each other to think, rethink, and rehearse what they were going to tell one another. Darcy had to let her know that he hadn’t meant to hurt her or make her feel neglected when he decided to film. He only thought about what was best for her at the time. Gigi wanted to let him know that he needed to stop making decisions on her behalf and that she could take care of herself. If he had clued her in on filming about their parents beforehand, she would have been at least prepared for what he was willing to share.

There was so much they had to say and if they had been given the chance at Netherfield, the drive from the university to Aunt Catherine’s house wouldn’t have felt like it stretched on for hours. As Darcy made the turn onto the street where Netherfield was located, he was reminded of the humiliation he felt at the impudent arrival of his Aunt and Gigi. Bing had forgotten to ask Caroline for a ride and before he and Darcy had the chance to swoop in and ask Jane for forgiveness for the intrusion, Jane remarkably recovered and kindly showed Catherine de Bourgh and Gigi to the door. Darcy knew they each had their own motives for paying a visit to Netherfield and when he chased after Gigi out the door, the last and only thing he said to her was “I promise that we can talk about them later, okay?” and closed the door behind them.

She remembered the pained look in his eyes when Darcy said those words. Gigi paced back and forth outside the aquatics facility and teased her damp hair, trying to figure how to translate her frustrations into words. Curse William and his five-dollar words. Sure, she had been angry at the time and the video had left her feeling confused and worried, but had the chance to cool down and collect her thoughts. Before she takes another stab at her speech again, Darcy’s honk pulled her out of her stream of consciousness and she climbed into the car.

The air in the car was stiff. Gigi fiddled with the straps of her duffle bag while Darcy busied himself finding a suitable radio station. All commercials.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Darcy muttered.

Gigi smirked as he let a station continue their pointless banter. “Sucks when you don’t get your way, right?”

“Please tell me. How does that make Miss Georgiana Spoiled-Brat Darcy feel when she doesn’t get her way?”

“What the hell does that mean?”

“It means-” Darcy started, braking at a red light and looked over at Gigi’s livid expression. This wasn’t how he pictured having their confrontation and when the traffic light turned green, his irritation lifted and tore away from her gaze. “I’m sorry.”

Gigi was taken aback by his admission. “Me, too.”

A weight had been lifted from Darcy’s shoulders and they eased into conversation, careful not to step over any boundaries regarding their situation. “Listen, I understand if you’re still angry with me and I know I should have come to you.”

“Yeah. What were those voicemails about?” Gigi reflected on the morning she woke up to six missed calls and one voicemail. Two, if the one where he hung-up counted as one. “You said you didn’t need me. If you asked me to film the episode with you, I would have said yes.”

“Oh. Hmm. That’s not why I called, but I should have considered that. I left you those voicemails because I hadn’t taken into account how early it was when I visited Mom and Dad, so-“

“Wait! You WHAT?” If she wasn’t upset before, she would have been fuming by now. “You saw them without me?” He turned to her with his full attention and she hadn’t realized until now that they had already arrived at the house and parked on the driveway.

“I went on Sunday and it was five in the morning when I decided to go. I called you and wanted to surprise you, but when you didn’t pick up, I made a judgment call and decided to let you sleep in while I went to visit them.”

“Why?”

“Because I thought you needed the extra rest for your upcoming swim meets.”

“William. I mean, why did you visit them? Was it because you wanted to film about them?”

“Yes. Well, Yes and no. I wanted to visit them because I needed to film about them.”

Gigi’s eyes furrowed in thought. “The last question was about them, wasn’t it?”

Darcy only needed to nod. He allowed his eyes to wander to the vehicle parked in front of him on the driveway, cognizant of his surroundings and time of day. How long have they been cooped up in the car? As Darcy started to recognize the license plate in front of him, Gigi’s phone buzzed.

 

_Caroline! (6:08p)_ **_What time is Darcy picking you up? There’s a major dinner crisis and you two need to get here asap MY PARENTS ARE IN TOWN!_ **

 

“Let me guess. The Lee’s are in town?”

* * *

[ **FW is calling** ]

[ **FW is calling** ]

[ **FW is offline** ]

 

 **FW** : _Darce! Your mothership is calling. Update and call me back._

 

[ **DW is online** ]

[ **DW is calling** ]

 

“Answer, ” Fitz dictates the app. The video slowly reveals Darcy’s exhausted face and the background noise lets the other know that the caller is not at the apartment.

“Fitz! My apologies for not texting you sooner.” Darcy sneaks into Gigi’s study on the second floor and props his phone on top of her desk to free his hands.

Fitz, disoriented by the change of scenery, tries to familiarize himself with the pale pink walls and short stack of books peaking at the side of the frame. “It’s alright, man. Am I coming in clear? Where are you?”

“In one of Gigi’s rooms. I’m at Aunt Catherine’s house and Bing’s here, too.”

“Why are you guys there? And why was this,” Fitz points to himself, “not invited?”

“Bing’s family came here out of the blue, Aunt Catherine decided to throw a dinner party on their behalf, and I found out fifteen minutes ago that she invited the Bennets.” Darcy makes the last point clear, enunciating every syllable to express his state of malcontent.

“Oh, dear gawd.” Fitz places a hand on the side of his face. He can just picture Cruella de Bourgh ordering Darcy and Bing around the kitchen while Gigi and Caroline cater to Mr and Mrs Lee’s needs. The furniture would be arranged and rearranged and de Bourgh would yell at Darcy for scratching the floor and he would bite back with how her work heels would do the exact same. Gigi would try hard not to laugh and then leave the room before a heated discussion between Mrs Lee and Caroline would commence. Fitz was one for watching drama unfold, but his imagination can’t fathom the circus Darcy has been thrown into.

“Embrace your sanity, Fitz. I envy you right now.”

“Hey, who are you talking to?” Gigi peeks her head through the door, watching her brother talk to a wall.

“Shh! Doesn’t Aunt Cath know I’m up here?” Darcy turns and asks her off-camera.

She tiptoes into the room, quietly closing the door behind her. “I told her you were in the bathroom. For a loooooong tim- HEY FITZ!”

“Gigi D! Looking good!” Fitz beams.

“Did Skype update their interface? What is this? Ow!” Gigi attempts to take the phone, but Darcy slaps her hand away from the device.

“This is the app we’ve been working on,” Darcy tells her, extending his arm towards the screen.

“It looks insanely cool. Oh! Show me something!” Gigi crouches down beside Darcy, sitting on the arm of her desk chair.

“Darcys! Check this out. I’ve been working on this all afternoon.” Fitz straightens his posture and changes his voice to dictate the app. “Message William Darcy.”

A ticker pops up on the bottom right of the screen. Darcy begins to ask how he figured out the algorithm, but Fitz continues his demonstration. “You have a stain on your shirt. You are a disgrace. Send.”

 

 **FW** : _You have a stain on your shirt. You are a disgrace._

 

“Fitz, that’s amazing. You have to show me how you did that later. If we can work on key phrases and other colloquial aspects, it might be ready.”

“William, he may be a genius, but he’s also right. There’s a stain on your shirt.” Gigi points to the dark blotch near the second button of his light green button up shirt. Darcy tries to remedy the minuscule disaster on his shirt and the bell rings as he unbuttons his shirt.

“Put your clothes back on, brother. The rich have arrived.” Gigi pokes at the stain and leaves the frame.

Although there is no need to speak in a hushed tone, Fitz lowers his voice and leans into his computer camera. “Darce, if you can, sneak in pics of the Bennets with the app?”

Darcy rolls his eyes.

[ **WD is offline** ]

[ _cut_ ]

[ **WD is online** ]

“Fitz, I tried calling your phone but you weren’t answering. Bing is sending a text over to you right now, but we’re reaching you on all platforms. This dinner was a disaster. I repeat, a DISASTER,” Darcy reiterates, bringing his hands up to gesture wringing someone’s neck. “Aunt Cath was her charming self, Gigi spilled wine on Lizzie, and there was  a lot of yelling. Don’t you look at me like that, everyone was yelling. Bing was beet red the entire night, trying to impress his parents and Jane at the same time and-,” Darcy takes a breath to calm his nerves. “On the insistence of Caroline and Bing, we’re going to Carter’s. I know you’ve been dying to go, so if you’re getting this, Fitz William, get your butt to Carter’s now!”

[ **WD is offline** ]

* * *

The next morning arrived and a chipper Fitz was setting up the tripod in Darcy’s usual spot at the foot of the bed. The star of the show last night was still dead to the world, still fully clothed and snoring like a foghorn. Being friends with William Darcy meant knowing tricks of the trade better than anyone else in the world, other than perhaps the roommate, asleep in the other room. Fitz takes the freshly-brewed coffee he made and dips a bagel into the drink before waving the baked good under Darcy’s nose. A few passes was all it took to rouse a sleep drunk Darcy awake.

His blue eyes peer through his droopy eyelids and as he runs a hand through his matted hair, he discovers that Fitz has recorded the entire scenario for his viewers to enjoy.

“Morning, Bon Iver.”

“You suck,” Darcy says in a groggy voice.

“Love you too, man.”

[ _cut_ ]

Fitz takes a seat at the edge of the bed and pats the space to his left for Darcy to join. As the other drags himself across the bed, Fitz looks back at the camera and shares a cheeky grin with the audience.

“Ugh. How are you this upbeat right now? You drank the most out of all of us last night,” Darcy groans at the camera before he turns to Fitz. 

“I would never reveal my secrets on camera. That’s your job.” Fitz hands him the extra cup of coffee from the desk.

“If I was capable of moving my limbs, I so wish to punch you right now.”

Fitz looks back at the camera in shock. “Dude, I was designated driver! Remember?”

Darcy closes his eyes as the pounding headache numbs his thought process. He digs his hands into his pocket for his phone and checks the time. It was one hour until his media theory exam.

“Shoot! I’ve got to go.” Darcy bolts off his bed with new energy.

Fitz reassures the other, “I’ve got this. Go on ahead.” As he attempts to reach for the camera to shift towards the closet, Darcy exclaims, “Don’t you dare!” Fitz pulls his hand back and gazes back at the camera, wide-eyed.

[ _cut_ ]

Fitz returns to the camera frame with changed clothes, a new mug with tea, and a tall, dark, and handsome Bing beside him. “Hello, Internet. Now, we are about fifteen episodes in and you know the drill. Darcy is taking a final exam at the moment, so we have decided to take over this episode on his behalf. As you know, the last few episode have been… heavy, to say the least.”

Bing looks away from the camera to Fitz. “I thought they were moving. I mean, to talk freely about his parents and Gigi like that-“

“It was inspiring and we are here to brighten up the mood around here!”

[c _uts to intro_ ]

“Bing, set the scene,” Fitz tells Bing, pointing at the camera.

“Set the what?” Bing blanks.

“Tell the lovely viewers what happened last night.”

“Right. So, Ms de Bourgh was kind enough to let my parents stay at her house when they decided to visit unexpectedly. In light of their arrival, everyone there took it upon themselves to plan a last minute dinner party. Per de Bourgh’s request, she asked me to invite Jane and Lizzie as well.”

“Who I had never met until last night, FYI!” Fitz cuts in.

Bing quickly gets lost in thought at the revelation. “Are you talking about the Bennets or my parents?”

[ _cut_ ]

Fitz appears without his tea and directs his full attention to the camera. “What I’m about to show you are the crazy bits that Darcy and I filmed last night. It’s a bit shaky in some parts, but it sets up what we’re about to tell you.”

[ _cut to the app videos, filmed previously at the de Bourgh house_ ]

Bing releases a light laugh. “Darcy was really on edge that night.”

“I got the message and met them at the karaoke bar and let’s just say things get a lot more interesting when you mix these kids with singing and booze,” Fitz tells the viewers, off to the side with a hand covering the side of his mouth in mocked secrecy.

“Fitz!”

“Your duet with Jane was smoking!” the other offered, watching Bing blush.

“Not as good as your rendition of The Killers.” Fitz beamed with pride at his friend’s compliment. They both nodded at each other, ready to reveal the story of the night. Bing presses his lips together to contain his excitement. “You tell them.”

Fitz was now bouncing on the bed. “You’re the one who overheard them.”

“Yeah, but you have a recording,” Bing retorts.

“Lee, you spoiled the surprise!” With more spring on each bounce, Fitz explodes to the camera, “WEHAVEARECORDINGOFDARCYSWOONINGEVERYPERSONINTHEBARLASTNIGHT!”

Bing, bringing his pinky finger to his ear to regain some of his hearing back, added in delight, “including Lizzie Bennet.”

Fitz pulls out his phone and with each sweeping motion across his screen, the tension builds and when the anticipation was too much, Fitz selects the wrong clip and Gigi and Caroline’s “Genie in a Bottle” begins to play.

“Whoops. Wrong one.” A few more sound bytes of random performances, some with vocal powerhouses and others with hilarious, drunken howling. At last, Fitz pinpoints Darcy’s one time performance and holds the phone up to the camera as they both listen and reminisce. Bing smiles at the wolf-whistles and Fitz claps when Darcy begins to stomp the ground on cue. As the song fades, the crowd erupts in applause and the clip cuts out.

[ _cut_ ]

Bing and Fitz share a smile and turn to the camera. “I’m sure every man and woman was a little bit in love with Darcy after that. Bing?” Fitz looks over at the other and Bing clasps his hands together.

“So, after Darcy leaves the stage, I look over to Caroline, who I knew would be stunned-”

“As she always had been,” Fitz offers.

“Right. Lizzie was sitting next to her and she had the same look on her face. Lizzie is,” Bing contemplates the right description for the redhead.

Fitz starts to list a few options. “Opinionated? Honest? Pragmatic?”

“Articulate,” Bing finishes.

“Nice.”

“And true.” Fitz raises his hands at Bing’s stern reply.

“The point is, I’m positive Lizzie was in some sort of spell for the rest of the night.” Bing smiles at the camera, acknowledging its presence.

“And Darcy was clueless the entire night! He just kept checking his phone, with good reason. However, there were women practically eying him all night and the poor guy…” Fitz trails off.

“Well, not every woman.” Bing nudges Fitz and the other chuckles at the obvious woman in question.

“Okay! Every woman, except Jane Bennet. Gigi, too.” Fitz closes his eyes, ready for the well-deserved punch from Bing. “I. Am. Fragile, Lee!”

Fitz has never seen Bing so keyed up and elated about a girl before Jane Bennet. The mention of her name brightens his face, which was a nice contrast to the way Darcy has responded to the other Bennet.

Fitz sighs. “That man needs to work on his game.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> EDIT: In case you missed the link at the beginning and you really want to know the set list at Carter's, check out http://8tracks.com/messrmarius/a-night-at-carter-s
> 
> Carter's is now a karaoke bar!!! I've been chewing on this chapter for the longest time and some happy tears were shed, thanks to mamaleh6994 on Twitter. She and Lorelaisquared are the best betas a new writer could ever ask for, so thank you both for your general existence. The next chapter is going to be a hard act to follow, so here's some food for thought while I ponder some more.
> 
> 1) It's SWIM WEEK!
> 
> 2) Which means a certain gentleman is in town...
> 
> 3) I know I keep saying there will be more Lizzie, however with what Fitz/Bing just filmed and fact one and two above, these are pretty valid reasons why she'll be heavily talked about in the next chapter. The main question is, how's Darcy going to respond to all of that?
> 
> Lastly, big thanks for the comments/kudos! I love you guys, really.


	8. Darcy, Just Darcy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Just because you're rich, beautiful, and CEO to a media empire, it does not give you the right to wreck havoc at the nearest thing breathing."

When Darcy agreed to meet up with her at the aquatics facility to unwind and recharge before Swim Week, Gigi greeted him with a tired smile and a light snap of his suspenders. Final Exams were over for the both of them, and with the semester almost complete, Darcy was more than grateful that she granted him access to the restricted pool area. It had been two weeks, seven hours, and nineteen minutes since the last time Darcy swam, and when he walked into the locker room, it took every ounce of his being not to run out to the pool and cannonball into the water fully clothed. With all the other schools out partying, resting, or goodness knows what they find amusing in Hertford, some privacy was what they needed that evening.

The moment his toes met the brisk water, all thoughts washed away with every inch of skin sinking deeper into the pool until one thought formed and escaped his soaked lips as he resurfaced.

“Finally.”

Gigi joined him soon afterward to enjoy the feeling of water soaking into her pores and the rush of water in between her fingers. When she glanced at Darcy, he gestured his head towards the platforms and Gigi gave him a toothy smile in return. A little friendly competition between avid swimmers wouldn’t hurt.

They pulled themselves out of the water to find their goggles. When the two adjusted their swim caps for the last time, they took their mark at the platforms and expertly placed their goggles on. Hunched down into their starting positions, Gigi looked over at Darcy and when he started to count down, she began to make faces at him. Distracted, Darcy was about to tell her to keep her eyes forward when she launched off the platform. Cheater.

He was quick to keep pace with her, but Gigi was four strokes ahead of him. Her training had improved her breathing pace and his dry spell was evident by the third turn. Soon, he was a full body length behind her and finished the 200m completely winded.

“Thanks for letting me win, big brother!” Gigi hollered over, communicating through his earplugs.

Darcy placed his goggles on the crown of his head and pinched the bridge of his nose, squeezing the chlorine out of his vision. “I didn’t!” he answered back after he opened his eyes.

“I know! I just wanted you to feel better before I beat you again,” she teased.

“That was a dirty trick and you know it.” After a few more exchanges of cheeky words, they alternated between leisurely laps and hard sprints across the pool. Although Darcy no longer competed, it almost felt like the old days when he and Gigi had trained together. Their sessions in the off-hours were some of his favorite memories growing up.

Before they split up to go to their respective locker rooms, Darcy cleared his throat and Gigi faced him. He wanted to thank her for the swim, tell her how proud he was for making the team and for being diligent, and to clarify that all was forgiven for the stunt he pulled about their parents. For now, he wanted to look into her big, bright eyes and say thanks because he didn’t say it enough and she knew that. It drove her nuts and it was worse when he remained silent, calculating his thoughts far too slowly for her liking. To save him the trouble, she cut in.

“I know, William.” She placed her hand on his shoulder for a moment and gave him a small smile before she turned around, disappearing around the corner.

* * *

In the crowded locker room, several coaches and their proteges stick around to fit in some last minute training. In another life, he would have considered becoming a swimming coach himself, to train others and share his wisdom to those willing to listen. However, life had a funny way of telling him to grow up fast. Go to school, get a job, make enough money to stay afloat. Work in order to work.

Before he considers turning around and jumping into the pool again, his phone buzzes and Fitz’s name flashes, which indicates he’s calling from the app. Darcy quickly dries his hands with the towel over his left shoulder and answers. With the application previously set on the video feature, Fitz is greeted to a very wet and shirtless Darcy.

“Well, well, well. Hello there, Mr Darcy,” Fitz goads.

“Real mature.” Darcy looks over his shoulder to make sure no one is watching. “Did you call to gawk or was there something you wanted to tell me?”

“Oh! I was testing a new ringer for the calling feature. I didn’t think you’d actually answer, but I can’t complain…,” Fitz draws out the last word as he looks past Darcy and leans to the side of the screen for a better view. Darcy follows his gaze to one of the swimmers getting dressed, his back towards the onlookers.

“Eyes front, William Darcy!” Fitz taunts over the speakers, loud enough for the mystery swimmer to quickly turn around.

Darcy snaps his attention back to his phone and says the first thing that pops into his mind on the fly. “Yes, sir!”

The surprise retort sends Fitz into booming laughter and when he is unable to form complete sentences in between his “Fitz of giggles,” Darcy commands the app to disconnect.

* * *

@FitzOnTheFitz **_Sudden urge to join twitter. Hello people of the Internet._**

 

_@ggdarcy retweeted_

@UCHertfordSwim **_Best of luck to the women’s and men’s team during Swim Week! M- Men’s, Tu- Men’s, W- Wm’s, Th- Wm’s, F- Medley uc.hrt/8gltm_**

 

@ggdarcy **_mark your calendars! this wed, my meet starts at 4pm for the 200m free and 100m fly @wmdarcy #gobluebelles_**

 

_@FitzOnTheFitz favorited_

@ggdarcy **_mark your calendars! this wed, my meet starts at 4pm for the 200m free and 100m fly @wmdarcy #gobluebelles_**

 

@FitzOnTheFitz

**_@ggdarcy I’m afraid of commitment RT @ggdarcy mark your calendars! this wed, meet starts at 4pm for the 200m free and 100m fly :))_ **

 

@ggdarcy

**_@FitzOnTheFitz OMG Fitz. I can’t. Is @wmdarcy with you?_ **

 

@FitzOnTheFitz

 **_@ggdarcy @wmdarcy Sitting pretty. Why?_ ** [ **_yfrog.com/es7x8gmj_ ** ](http://yfrog.com/es7x8gmj)

 

@ggdarcy

**_@FitzOnTheFitz @wmdarcy Dork._ **

 

@wmdarcy

**_@ggdarcy @FitzOnTheFitz You do know I can see this, right?_ **

 

@ggdarcy

**_@wmdarcy @FitzOnTheFitz That’s the point! Now, please come to my meet!_ **

 

@wmdarcy

**_@ggdarcy @FitzOnTheFitz I have told you a dozen times, it’s on my calendar. I’ll be there._ **

 

@FitzOnTheFitz

**_@wmdarcy @ggdarcy And I’ll make sure he does. Good luck, Gigi D! #gobluebelles_ **

 

_@ggdarcy favorited_

**_@wmdarcy @ggdarcy And I’ll make sure he does. Good luck, Gigi D! #gobluebelles_ **

 

_@wmdarcy favorited_

**_@ggdarcy mark your calendars! this wed, meet starts at 4pm for the 200m free and 100m fly @wmdarcy #gobluebelles_ **

* * *

Sixteen years old and terrified, a young and lean Darcy walked out to the garage with a notebook and pen in his trembling hands.  He vowed to never start the car unless he knew the mechanics under the hood and if he was going to learn how to drive, he wanted to learn everything about how a car operated. His fascination laid mostly in the functionalities of something reliable in society. Darcy believed that if something was going to be beneficial long term, he must understand the maintenance for the sake of its longevity. Afterwards, learning to drive came as naturally to him as swimming.

Since he received his license, Darcy rarely dealt with car troubles and years passed with issues no worse than a flat tire. He tried to remember every note he scrambled in his little notebook and certain details fell through the cracks. He would have memorized the manual if his current car had one to begin with and if there was one thing Darcy wished he taught himself, it would be how to jump start a car.

* * *

An hour before he planned on leaving the apartment, Bing called from his stalled vehicle, unsure of what to do when one is stuck on the shoulder of the freeway. Darcy asked when AAA would be arriving, but Bing pleaded that it would be faster and more efficient if Darcy drove out to him. Only twenty minutes away, it would give him enough time to drive there, see and diagnose the problem, and make it back in time for Gigi’s meet. Simple, right?

“Oh, look who it is,” Lizzie dramatized in a southern drawl. “William’s here to save the day!”

The search for Bing’s vehicle on the freeway became a cinch when Darcy spotted two redheads in the distance. It seemed the only person in the dark about his arrival was Darcy and when he raised an eyebrow at Bing for dismissing an important detail, the other mouthed, “Sorry.”

Darcy rolled his eyes as he strutted past the two to the driver’s seat to inspect the damage. He turned the key in the ignition multiple times with no reaction. The tank was three quarters full and the dashboard flashed a blinking blue light. As he reached for the glove box, Lizzie tapped the passenger side window and waved the manual in her other hand.

“Lizzie, can I please have that?” Darcy called out, over the ongoing traffic. Fed up at how useless it was for him to yell from inside the car, Lizzie pointed to her ear and teased her inability to hear.

When Darcy climbed out of the car, she stepped over towards the windshield for barely being tall enough to be seen above the vehicle. After a deep breath, he bellowed, “I need you to hand that over, Elizabeth.” 

Taken aback for remembering her aversion to her full name, Lizzie blared back, “I told you to never call me that!”

“Then don’t call me William.” He extended his arm for the manual. Lizzie opened her mouth to protest, when Jane came up behind her, took the booklet from her hand, and sprinted around the front of the vehicle. Although cars continue to zoom by, it was evident that the traffic had begun to build around them, with people slowing down enough to watch the fuss and move on.

With the manual firm in her grasp, Jane carefully approached Darcy’s side of the car with her free hand securing the sunhat atop her head. As she handed the booklet with the same sweet smile and sparkle in her eye, Jane paused to greet him before she returned to Bing. “It’s so good to see you, Darcy.”

After sifting through the reading material for the glossary of dashboard symbols, Darcy walked to the open trunk of the car to find the other three standing before it, dumbfounded. “Bing, I hope you have jumper cables.”

Disappointment drained the blood from Bing’s face as he pulled it out of the car. “I do, but one of the clamps is missing.”

“Don’t you have one, too?” Lizzie walked away from the trunk towards Darcy’s vehicle.

Once they both reached the trunk of his car, Darcy replied, “I might. Although, I have never jumped a car before.”

“Unbelievable!” A gust of wind blinded her blue eyes under a haze of winded red hair and her fury at the situation caused her to storm back to Jane. “Ughhh we’ve been out here forever, the groceries are gonna spoil, I’m going to miss a video conference call in 20 minutes, and he’s never jumped a car before!”

After Darcy grabbed what resembled jumper cables from his trunk, he returned to Bing and Jane, who were sitting on top of the closed trunk. As he presented the cables to Bing, Lizzie appeared beside Darcy and snatched  it away from him.

“Bing, please pop the hood while William moves his car to the front of yours.” Darcy wanted to defend his name for one last time, but it also reminded him of the one person he has ever allowed to say it. He rushed back into his car, checked his phone for the time, and started the car. He had 25 minutes until the meet and he did not have to read the text messages from Fitz to reiterate the situation.

The cars were facing each other, with Darcy and Bing standing by their respective vehicles, while Jane read off the manual to Lizzie, who was detaching and reattaching the cables. The more Lizzie second guessed the placement, the closer Darcy inched towards the booklet in Jane’s hands. He didn’t get the chance to read the fine print, for Lizzie ordered him to “start the damn car.” Darcy allowed his engine to run a few minutes before Lizzie hollered for Bing to turn on his vehicle.

Darcy reached for his phone to call Fitz when Jane popped her head out of the passenger’s side of Bing’s car. “Do you smell smoke?”

* * *

“My name is William Darcy and Lizzie Bennet is ruining my life.”

[ ** _cut_** ]

He starts to loosen the skinny black tie around his neck and lets it hang down his grey button up shirt. After he takes a moment to sink his face into his hands, he takes a deep breath and looks up at the camera.

“Before I start, I’d like to say that I love Bing. I love him like a brother and I’d do anything to protect him. However, Bing and Jane have been on six dates, if you define dating as a group of people meeting on happenstance. A big perplexing, incestuous circle of friends with two people who happen to date each other. That’s beside the point. It seems that wherever Jane goes, Lizzie follows and since Bing started seeing Jane, I have had the unfortunate pleasure of having Lizzie reign terror into my life.

“I blame my aunt for introducing me as William Darcy to Lizzie as she now takes every opportunity to call me William merely to watch me suffer. I have spent the last few dinners correcting her over and over again. Her reply?” Darcy looks away from camera to reflect on the memory of the Netherfield dinner. After Gigi and Catherine de Bough’s departure, he had returned to the dining room feeling on edge after the exchange and had distracted himself with whatever course in front of him. He did all he could to think of something else until Lizzie asked, “Why do they call you William while we call you Darcy? It's _literally_ your name!"

After he repeats the question to the viewers, he raises an eyebrow and rolls his eyes. “It’s pretty obvious that I feel comfortable with my family referring to me as William. Not that I particularly enjoy hearing it from Aunt Cath, but the way Lizzie says it sounds like nails on a chalkboard. Don’t worry. Technically, her given name is as much of a bitter taste in her mouth as hearing her call me William.”

[ ** _cut_** ]

“Lizzie can talk her head off and to be honest, I can’t think of the last time she’s ever said anything pleasant. Even compliments seem to have an air of scorn and mockery. Is Jane’s amiable demeanor due to genuine kindness towards others or does Lizzie’s abhorrent attitude make her sister delightful in comparison? Even a comment about donating ruffles to charity sent Gigi over the edge. Hence, she _accidentally_ spilled wine on Lizzie.”

[ ** _cut_** ]

Darcy pauses to roll up his sleeves and rests his elbows on his knees before continuing.

“Which brings me to today.” He can still smell the faint hint of smoke and exhaust and how cool his fingertips gliding over the silver metal Gigi won from the Fly. “My sister is participating in Swim Week and teams across the country flock to our university for the annual competition. Her meet ended two hours ago and I promised her I would make it and I didn’t. I didn’t forget, but I was tied up somewhere else. Well, not literally, but Bing was having car trouble and he needed my help. It was supposed to be a quick in and out situation, but he neglected to tell me he was with the Bennets until I arrived at the exit on 99. It’s not that I would’ve declined his plea if I had known, but a fair warning wouldn’t have hurt.”

“I was doing my best to be calm. Lizzie was… Lizzie. After I parked my car in front of Bing’s, she announced that she’s done this before and took charge because _she knew what she was doing_. I’ve never jumped a car before and she’s _monied, bossy, and well-educated_ , so at the time I let her take charge. I knew something was off when I started my car and soon enough, the clamps started to melt and both my battery and Bing’s overheated. Thankfully, mine was still operable but Bing’s battery was completely destroyed. You would think that’s where it ended, but no.”

[ ** _cut_** ]

“It was ten minutes before Gigi’s meet at that point. I suggested that AAA should handle the problem, but the traffic caused by our little episode delayed the assistance by an hour. Thus, even after the mess Lizzie left from her meddling, she begged Jane that I take the both of them home. Jane asked to stay behind with Bing and I was left driving little Snobby Miss Elizabeth to Netherfield with her pretentious farmers market groceries and $100 tea leaves. Just because you're rich, beautiful, and CEO to a media empire, it does not give you the right to wreck havoc at the nearest thing breathing."

[ ** _cut_** ]

“I asked where her supposed driver disappeared to. He was at the airport picking up her friend Charlotte and they were stuck in traffic. Which one, you ask?”

[ ** _cut_** ]

“Bing. Fitz. If and when you watch this, I hope you two realize that whatever spell you think I put Lizzie, Caroline, and supposedly everyone under at Carter’s, it was both nonexistent and downright preposterous. It has been well over two months since the arrival of the Bennets and I can’t help but feel as though I am losing control over my life,” Darcy’s voice begins to crack. “If they hadn’t bought the house, Bing would not have met Jane, Lizzie would never have gone out of town, and there would have been no car trouble for me to deal with. I… I would have made it to Gigi’s swim meet in time to cheer her on.” He reaches behind him for the silver metal Gigi threw at his sternum earlier that evening. Still sore from the well-deserved tantrum, he places his palm over the pain on his chest as he looks at the metal.

“She’s avoiding my text messages and voicemails. I’ll give her a few days to cool down, but I’ve disappointed her so much lately that one of these days she’s going to cut me off entirely. Who will be at fault? Who knows, but for now, this has been a trying day."

With finality, Darcy straightens his posture and addresses the camera with disdain, as though it were Lizzie herself. "Thank you _so_ much, Elizabeth Bennet.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys :) Long time no see! I can go on and on about how chaotic this month has been, but all you need to know is that I'm fine and this chapter finally came together. I had bigger plans for this and it suddenly split into two chapters, so consider this part one and part two will be posted later this week! Thanks again to all my betas for being patient with me, especially when I kept chewing at the chapters to come. Lastly, this chapter is dedicated to Misty as a belated birthday gift for being the most creative gifmaster and an amazing person in general. I know fics aren't your thing, but I hope you like it nonetheless.
> 
> Here's the three facts for chapter nine and I'll see you later this week!
> 
> 1) A deal has been offered,
> 
> 2) Something goes missing,
> 
> 3) and Wickham makes ANOTHER appearance in the same week (SPOILERS he's already in this chapter!)


	9. William Darcy, Mirific

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gigi disappeared on him once on purpose and once by accident. A third time is out of the question, especially during Swim Week.
> 
> Where did she go?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a continuation (part two) from the previous chapter.  
> I would recommend rereading it to refreshing your memory (and I miss Lizzie, so).

If Darcy were the type to be reckless, now would be the time.

Seconds passed and the urge to run the red light grew with each tick. It had been only a day since the last time he saw Gigi, but he had to make sure she was alive. Was she hurt? Was she kidnapped? Why had she been careless enough to lose her phone? Whatever the case may have been, it prompted a stranger to phone Fitz and leave a voicemail about Gigi’s current state. It was only during his break that Fitz called Darcy and told him what the voicemail said, word for word.

“ **Hi, Fitz is it? You don’t know me but Gigi is in… Carter’s and she’s fine, but uh- you or someone should pick her up soon. Where did she go…** ” ( _beep_ )

* * *

 

Twice Gigi had disappeared in front of his eyes.

The first time was at a family trip to Knott’s Berry Farm and 12-year-old Darcy had promised that he would never let go of Gigi’s hand for the duration of the day. The four of them stood in line together for an ICEE because Gigi pleaded that she wanted to try “the blue drink” and stick her blue tongue out to annoy Darcy. Their parents stood in front of the two and he needed to throw away his ice cream cup at the nearby garbage can, but Gigi would not budge from the line. It was then that Darcy let go of her hand.

Within the four seconds it took to walk over to the trash and back, Gigi vanished from her spot.

If it were possible, he could feel his heart catch in his throat and his stomach drop. Mr and Mrs Darcy moved forward in line, oblivious to the whereabouts of their five-year-old daughter. Darcy promised and he failed. No, he refused to accept this fate. He had seconds before his parents would realize what he had done, so he took a deep breath and focused.

Where did she go?

Three blinks later and Gigi was back in line with a balloon in her hand and a huge grin on her face. Darcy rushed back to her and grabbed her free hand before their father turned around to ask what kept bumping the back of his head. Gigi giggled as she waved the balloon in the air and Darcy forced the biggest smile back at his father as though the last ten seconds never occurred. He welcomed the small blue tongue she exhibited every chance she got and never let go of her hand for the rest of the day.

The second time Gigi disappeared was the day they moved into the de Bourgh house. They had to sell their childhood home and Aunt Cath thought it was best for everyone to have a fresh start in a new setting. Since Darcy was still in college, Hertford was the best place to start but Gigi hated the change. A different high school with different people made her anxious, but Darcy knew she would always persevere. She was a Darcy, after all.

Moving Day was stressful and the house was spacious. It felt empty. Darcy went back to the truck to grab a box of books and returned to the house to find Gigi gone from the kitchen. He called out to her a few times and received no answer and when he phoned her, she never picked up. The pit of his stomach began to grow and his pulse rang in his ears.

Where had she gone?

Darcy began to climb the creaking staircases and looked into every room. Nothing. He called her phone once more and almost gave up to return back to the ground floor before he heard it.

 

_Vrrrrp, Vrrrrp, Vrrrrrrrrrrp._

_Vrrrrp, Vrrrrp, Vrrrrrrrrrrp._

  
The noise came from above and a glance around a dark corner revealed a hidden staircase to another floor: the attic. Two small windows filled the room with light, Gigi’s silhouette hunched over nearby. Darcy breathed a huge sigh of relief and ducked underneath the angled ceiling to join her, next to the window that overlooked their new backyard. Tucked into her side was the music box their mother had given her a long time ago.

“I broke it,” she mumbled.

He carefully pried the box from her grasp and opened it to find the two Victorian dancers not moving in circles. The music bounced off the walls, perfectly timed echoes rang back to them, and they sat in silence as they stared at the still figures. Darcy reached over to hold her hand and relief washed over him. He found her and that’s all that mattered.

Gigi disappeared on him once on purpose and once by accident. A third time is out of the question, especially during Swim Week.

Where did she go?

* * *

 

Bing returns to the apartment after a long walk from dropping off his car at the shop, eager to crash on the couch for an early morning nap before diving back into studying. What he was not anticipating was Gigi beating him to the punch, sleeping peacefully. It’s not everyday that she crashes at their place, but he can’t complain. He enjoyed her company.

After tiptoeing past her and quietly dropping off his things in the kitchen, Bing taps on Darcy’s door.

“Come in,” Darcy announces.

Bing sticks his head through the door. “Hey, I saw Gigi on the couch. Is everything okay?”

Darcy looks back at the camera, out of his roommate’s line of sight. “‘Okay’ may not be the adequate term for it, but she’s not yelling at me and that’s something to rejoice.”

“Are you two reconciling? That’s great news!” Bing joins his roommate at the foot of the bed, keenly aware of the camera at this point.

“No, not quite. My name is William Darcy and Carter’s turned out to be… mirific.”

[ ** _cut to title sequence_** ]

“Is that even a word?” Bing teases.

“The etymology is not deeply rooted but by definition, it means ‘unexpected yet wonderful’,” the other explains.

“Carter’s was unexpected, yet wonderful? I thought you avoided those kind of places during Swim Week.”

Darcy addresses the camera and explains, “As anyone should. Anything that happens outside the aquatics facility is their business, but I don’t make it mine to mingle in places where I feel ankle deep in puke and sperm.”

“And Gigi?” Bing asks, trying to move the conversation along.

“After you left for Netherfield, I got an alarming call from Fitz saying a stranger got a hold of her phone. The message led me to believe he lost track of her, so I took it upon myself to find her and make sure she was safe. Carter’s was complete chaos, but I eventually found her.” Darcy looks over at Bing and sighs with content.

Bing face reads more perplexed than relief. “And then you brought her here?”

“Not exactly.”

* * *

 

Darcy towered over the crowded karaoke bar. His height proved to be an asset to his search and rescue, but the other things he had to witness in the process were moments he wished could be removed from his memory. For a talented bunch, they sure had interesting drinking habits. What happened to integrity and respect? Everyone is an ambassador- a representative of their respective schools and should be cautious of how their behaviors are reflected. Darcy hoped that when he found Gigi, she would not have polluted the Hertford name.

Fifteen minutes later and every private room, stage, and barstool had been checked twice. For each shocked face he met with the same Gigi-haircut, the knot in the pit of his stomach twisted and grew tighter. He was far past panic and anger began to set in.

How could she do this to him? Did she realize she lost her phone and wondered how fast he would come after her? She must have considered it. He knew to what lengths she would go to avoid confrontation, but this was taking it too far. If that was the case, there would be no point in sticking around.

Darcy worked his way to the exit through the growing masses and almost made it past the bar when he heard his name.

“William?!” Gigi grabbed his shirt and whipped him around. “What the HELL are you doing here?”

The ecstasy he should have felt was overpowered by fury. “Where. Is. Your. Phone. I’ve been looking all over for you!”

“OH! I get it now. Swim meets aren’t important, but my phone goes missing for one hour and YOU’RE HERE! Noted.” Gigi shouted over the noisy ambiance. She jumped off the stool and stumbled a bit before grabbing her jacket.

“Where are you going? I've been worried sick!” Darcy tried to help her stand, but she brushed him off and walked towards the tables by the stage.

He swam through the crowd in attempt to follow her close by. He could not see the face of the man she was talking to, but the way the man stroked her arm set off alarms for Darcy. When he reached them, Darcy grasped the man’s shoulder and turned him around to face him.

“Oh, for crying out loud!” Gigi yelled.

The blond stranger looked up at Darcy and gazed back at Gigi. “Can’t a lovely girl like you return a jacket without starting another fight?” He extended his arm to receive the jacket and in his hand was a familiar object. “I believe this belongs to you.”

“You’re the one who called?” Darcy removed his hand from the man’s shoulder.

The other stood up from the tall chair and offered his hand. “George Wickham. Are you Fitz?”

“No, but Fitz informed me about your call. I’m her brother, Darcy.” He was hesitant at first, but Darcy finally accepted the handshake.

“Wait! Hold on a tick. You used my phone? What the-“ Gigi set her drink down on the table to check her phone.

George laughed and recapped the last couple of hours to Darcy. “Well, it was a valiant attempt over what you were doing beforehand. She kept yelling at her phone, not into her phone. ‘Call Fitz Williams! Call Fitz! Call Fitz, you stupid phone!’ It was hilarious, but borderline crazy. Anyone in that state should not drive home, so I called Fitz when she went to the bathroom.”

“You didn’t have to. Besides, you’re the one who disappeared on me,” Gigi defended.

“I apologize, m’lady. One of the guys I coach called me over and asked if I had any aspirin. I lost track of time.” George placed the jacket on the chair next to him and Gigi smiled as she took the seat. Darcy admired the small gesture and considered that amongst the rowdy, inhibited people they were surrounded with at Carter’s, George was not one of them.

“Which school do you coach for?” Darcy hollered over the screeching singer on stage.

George appeared to not have heard what he said. After a second try of conversation, his only reply was, “North.” Gigi took a swig of water and after George checked to see if she was all right, he looked at Darcy when he talked to her.

“You know, I’ve seen your brother before.” George didn’t elaborate any further and when Gigi looked back and forth between them, she was confused by Darcy’s neutral face.

“Have you? I do not recall.” Darcy prayed that George was not tied to the country club or the Gibson Wedding.

“In the locker room. Remember?” George watched as Darcy’s expression shifted from befuddled, to horror struck, to understanding.

“You were the one who saw-,” Darcy recalled.

“Eye’s front, soldier!” George quoted Fitz from the app conversation, to which Darcy grinned at the retort.

“Okay! Well, I’m gonna get another drunk and leave you two lovebirds alone.” Gigi’s weariness and deadpan humor meant she was almost sobered up.

“No hard stuff. Chasers only.” Darcy hollered over his shoulder as she disappeared into the crowd.

As they waited for her return, they discussed what they do for a living, their thoughts on Hertford and Carter’s, and about Darcy’s app development. George Wickham’s intrigue over the prospects of the project turned Darcy giddy. No one, aside from Fitz, ever took an interest in it and it was refreshing to be able to explain it to someone who had seen it with their own eyes and comprehend its potential. As they were about to argue the complications of internet security, they heard Gigi scream.

George leaped off the chair and huffed, “Not again.”

* * *

 

“No way!” Bing rests a hand on his chest.

Darcy sighs, “Indeed.”

“It’s just- Gigi doesn’t seem like the violent type. Should I check on her? Is she okay?” Bing’s voice cracks.

A giggle emits from the hallway and Gigi slowly enters through the doorframe. Although the camera view shows only her torso, the colorful stains on her light-wash jeans prove that last night’s brothel with one of her teammates was anything but catty. Her cardigan is bunched together in one hand, while the other hand picks at the band-aid on her right shoulder. Gigi thankfully is not prone to hangovers, but at this moment she allows herself to be drunk again. Not with alcohol, but with adoration.

She soaks up Bing’s smile and approaches him. “I’m fine, thank you. I do need a new band-aid though.”

“Allow me,” Darcy tries to interject.

“No! It’s okay, I can get it.” Bing stands up from the edge of the bed and steps out of frame to seat her next to Darcy. The moment Bing exits the room, Darcy slips into his “protective big brother” mask and Gigi attempts to ignore his gaze by talking to the camera.

“Hi everyone! I hope my brother hasn’t shared anything ‘too incriminating or personal today.’” She brings her hands in the frame to do air-quotes, but Darcy forces her to put her hands down.

“Hey!” Darcy struggles to keep his voice calm. “I said I was sorry about that and I haven’t told them anything. In fact, I still have no idea what happened. First, you went missing. Second, you left your phone in the hands of a random stranger-”

“Random stranger? You two looked pretty cozy together the last time you guys talked.” Gigi crosses her arms and turns towards the camera with a smirk. “If you ask me, it was like witnessing love at first sight. I thought I was gonna puke.”

Darcy chuckles. “Jealous?”

Gigi snorts, “Vain, much?”

“I’ll admit he was more civilized than the other cavemen at Carter’s, but he’s not  _my_  type,” Darcy deadpans

“Good because I’m not sharing him,” Gigi teases.

“I’d know. You were never good with sharing.” Darcy realizes the mistake he makes as soon as the words leave his mouth. Gigi begins to cackle and Darcy shakes his head at the camera and opens his mouth to apologize, but a ringtone cuts through the air.

“That would be my phone. I’m so sorry,” she addresses the audience rather than Darcy and rushes out of the room. He tries to eavesdrop on the conversation, but all he can hear is distant mumbling. Darcy slides to center himself within the frame.

“I haven’t quite processed what happened in the last 48 hours, but this is one rollercoaster I want off of. Bing’s car, Lizzie Bennet, and this,” Darcy waves his hand behind him, referring to his stubborn, troublemaking sister. “Perhaps its best that I don’t know what really happened. I’m happy knowing that Gigi was not kidnapped, or worse, and that George Wickham had been the one who called. He was amiable, considerate, and-”

“Smoking hot!” Gigi skips back into the room and plops herself beside him. Her sudden mood change radiates with each bounce she produces. “Hey, big brother. Guess who just filled in as the fourth swimmer on the medley tomorrow?”

“Congratulations!” Darcy bumps his right shoulder against her left. She hisses under her breath from the battlewound of last night. “The cut will fester, but I know that won’t stop you.”

Gigi shrugs. “Can you make it?”

“Aunt Cath’s charity event is tomorrow and she assigned me as lead.” Darcy shares with Gigi and the camera. “I’m sorry Gigi. Maybe if I talk to her, I could get out of it.”

“It’s fine.” She waves it off. “Am I disappointed? Yes, but it’s understandable. It’s a long story, but circumstances change and I don’t blame you if you miss it. However, you are going to miss one hell of a meet. I’ll win you that gold medal.”

“If you do, I’ll let you do a solo episode.” Darcy challenges.

Gigi’s jaw hangs in shock. “You would do that?”

Darcy offers her his hand and returns his attention to the camera. “I believe this is where we shake on it.”

“You’re on.” Gigi accepts the bet and greedily shakes his hand firmly.

After all, she was a Darcy, and Darcys don’t back down from a challenge.

* * *

 

When the music box stopped playing, the warmth of the room vanished and the young siblings released each other from their grasps. Gigi tried to choke back the tears while she fidgeted with the figurines once more and when they would not budge, she let her frustrations pulsate through her body and flung the music box across the attic.

“Gigi!” Darcy yelped. He leapt up from beside the window and retrieved the music box, still in one piece. When he turned back, Gigi looked outside the window again, annoyed by the sounds of their aunt arguing with the driver of the moving van. Darcy had to distract her if there was any hope she would return downstairs to help with the rest of the move.

Darcy placed his hand on her shoulder. “Look, you can stay up here and sulk all you want… or we could play a game.”

“Game?” Gigi whipped her head around, foiled at how easily she took the bait.

“More like a challenge. You see, I like this space. It’s roomy, the acoustics are great, and it’s very secluded from the rest of the house,” he stressed on the last statement. “I can see you like it, too. I decree that whomever fixes the music box first can have the attic.”

“For my room?” Gigi bargains.

“No! The ventilation is horrid and there’s only one outlet.” Darcy goes on and on about safety this and fire code that, but she starts to daydream about the surrounding space and the unlimited possibilities in living here. Things were tough but she had hope. He waves his hand in front of her, but she was lost in her fantasy world.

Gigi snapped back to reality and finally replied, “Deal.” Two days later, Darcy came home from running errands to find the music box open on the kitchen counter, with the dancing figures gliding across the music box. Hand a Darcy a challenge and they will follow through wholeheartedly with all of their might.

 

Little did they know, there will be bigger, more ghastly challenges they can’t win.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HAPPY NEW YEAR! I'm going to skip all the excuses, holiday mumble jumble, and go right to the part where I say I've missed this and I am so glad this chapter finally found its way here. MY BETAS BETAS BETAhhhhhhhs, thank you to the most amazing team of betas. I was away for so long and I owe them so much. Another note, this is also a belated birthday trade off with my dear Manon! It's still birthday week and I look forward to reading what you have for me. This chapter was being so difficult, but I am so glad it found its way to you in one piece. Thank you for everything!
> 
> Lastly, thanks for all the kudos while I was away and the favorites on 8tracks! Each one pushed me even further to finish this chapter and influenced me to think ahead for future "episodes." Here are your three tidbits and I will see you again soon.
> 
> 1) In case you didn't remember, Wickham was the onlooker in the men's locker room just before Swim Week. I hoped that introducing him early in Darcy's world would pique Wickham's interest to return, not for Gigi but for the soon-to-be Domino.
> 
> 2) As previously mentioned, George Wickham grew up with the Bennets in this AU. In LBD, Gigi stated that she always had a crush on him because he was always around. Thus, I thought it was pretty evident that Gigi would have a crush on Bing (who wouldn't?) and it's going to be fun seeing how that turns out if/when Caroline finds out.
> 
> 3) Speaking of Caroline, I tried my best to fit her into this chapter but she seems to steal the show. This was very much a Darcy-centric chapter and it seemed more fluid when it was just Gigi, Darcy, and Wickham. If not this one, she'll definitely steal the show in the next one.


End file.
